The Longest Day
by Specter-Paulsen
Summary: When Harvey digs up the past and it comes back to bite him, the whole firm have to rally together to protect him, along with a few additional familiar faces.
1. Chapter 1

**New fic! This one is going to be a multi-chapter; maybe 5 chapters or so. I started writing this in 2017, before we knew Patrick and Meghan were leaving, so I had to re-work it a little to make it fit the current day. If I missed anything, I apologise, just use your imaginations a little. **

**For the purpose of this fic, Mike and Rachel have come back to New York for a few weeks because mike has a case with connections to the city and Rachel wanted to spend some time with her dad after his retirement. **

**This is rated T for now - may go to M later, but so far it's perfectly chaste. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was 1.37am when Donna woke to a knocking on her front door.

"Goddamnit, Harvey," she grumbled to herself as she climbed out of bed and padded down the hall. She was more than a little surprised to see Rachel when she finally swung the door open.

"Rach? What are you doing here?"

"I need you to stay calm, but you should get dressed. We need to get to the hospital."

"Oh my god, is Mike okay? What happened?"

"It's not Mike." Rachel sounded apprehensive and Donna felt light headed.

"Who…" she knew before she asked, but she asked anyway. Rachel's answer was quiet.

"Harvey."

"Oh god." Donna held onto the door frame to support herself. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know." Rachel gripped Donna's shoulders. "You need to get dressed, we have to go."

"Yeah. Okay. Um…" she turned and wandered back to her bedroom as if in a dream. "How did you know he was there?"

"They called Jessica. I guess she's still one of his emergency contacts. Anyway, she called Mike because of course she can't do anything from Chicago. He's downstairs in a cab, so we need to hurry."

"Okay." Donna was still confused and shocked as she began to get dressed. She threw on jeans and a sweater, pulling on her soft brown suede boots before grabbing her coat and following Rachel out the door. She felt as if she couldn't breathe and as the cab driver navigated the streets of Manhattan, everything seemed a little fuzzy around the edges. Mike and Rachel had said very little.

"Why didn't the hospital call me?" Donna asked suddenly. "I'm his primary emergency contact."

"I don't know," Mike replied slowly. "Jessica just called me and told me they'd called her and we needed to get there. She didn't have any more details than that."

"Why didn't _she _call me?"

"I don't think she wanted to tell you over the phone."

When the cab pulled up outside the Columbia branch of Mt Sinai, Donna was confused all over again.

"Why is he _here_?"

"I don't know. This is where they brought him."

"This is nowhere near… why would he have even been in this part of town?"

"Why don't we go in and find out," Rachel suggested gently.

They strode into the emergency department, gave Harvey's name and were directed to a waiting room. It wasn't long before a young woman in pale blue scrubs approached them.

"You're here for Harvey Specter?"

"Where is he? What happened to him?" Donna felt panic rising in her. Rachel took her hand and held it tight.

"He's just been taken into surgery. He has some internal bleeding that needs to be investigated and some other injuries that we're taking care of."

"But what _happened_?" Donna demanded.

"It appears he was attacked. He was conscious when he was brought in but he wasn't able to tell us much, other than who to call. He's been badly beaten and has extensive facial injuries and some broken bones."

"Oh my god," Rachel said, covering her mouth in horror. Donna dropped slowly into a chair, her eyes wide.

"Is he going to be okay?" Mike asked.

"His injuries are severe, and the internal bleeding needs to be investigated, but I don't believe it's life threatening. I'm sorry, but I need to get back. Someone will update you when he's out of surgery." She left and Rachel sat next to Donna, taking her hand again. None of them spoke for the next couple of hours, other than Mike periodically offering to get coffee. Donna declined each time.

It was almost 5am when a doctor appeared.

"Family of Harvey Specter?"

"Yes." Donna leapt to her feet.

"I'm Doctor Addlestone," the man smiled kindly. "We've performed a thoracotomy to stop the bleeding around his lung, and we've set his radial fracture and stabilised his fractured ribs. He may need further surgery in the coming days on his orbital fracture but we need the swelling to go down before we can fully assess the damage."

The doctor talked a little longer, detailing more information about the surgery, but Donna had only one question.

"When can I see him?"

"He's in recovery right now, so it'll be a little longer, I'm afraid. A nurse will come down and get you when he's been taken to a room."

"Thank you, Doctor." Mike shook the man's hand as Donna nodded silently. The tears she'd been holding back since Rachel came to her door began to fall and she fell into the hug Mike offered, sobbing into his shoulder.

"He's okay, Donna. He's okay."

.

A little over an hour later, a nurse found them and directed them to Harvey's room. Donna practically ran down the hall to the room and then stopped dead in the doorway when she caught sight of him.

"Oh god," she breathed, "Harvey."

He was almost unrecognisable. His face was swollen and bruised, gauze covering his left eye. His left arm was in a cast to his elbow, and a bright purple bruise bloomed over his chest and disappeared under the blankets.

"Holy shit," Mike murmured and it spurred Donna into action. She dragged a chair over to the bed and sat next to him, afraid to touch him, just staring, tears running down her cheeks.

"Donna, we should all go home and get some rest. The nurse said he'd be asleep for quite a while."

"I'm not leaving," Donna replied. Mike and Rachel exchanged a look.

"Donna…" Mike began.

"_No_, Mike," Donna snapped. "I'm not leaving him." She turned to him and her face softened.

"You guys go. I'll stay in case he wakes up."

"We can stay," Mike said hesitantly.

"It's okay, you guys go, get some sleep. I'll call you if anything changes."

"Okay." Rachel squeezed Donna's shoulder and they left, and she was alone with Harvey.

"Who did this to you?" she asked in a whisper, running her hand tenderly over his hair. She laid her hand on his bicep; the skin there unblemished, one of the only undamaged parts of him she could see. "I love you," she said softly. "And I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere." She laid her head down on the edge of the bed by his shoulder and closed her eyes.

.

She didn't sleep, unable to find a comfortable position in the chair, and a few hours later she deemed it an appropriate time to make a few necessary phone calls. Jessica was the first.

"Donna. How is he?" Jessica asked by way of greeting.

"He's going to be okay," she replied. "But he doesn't look so good."

"They told me he'd been beaten?"

"Yeah. He's still sedated so I only know what they told me, but he was attacked. Really viciously. Jessica, I don't know who could have done this, or why."

"Have the police been contacted?"

"I don't know. Not by me, but I don't know if the hospital did."

"We'll figure this out. The important thing is that he's going to be okay."

"I know."

The conversation wound up shortly after and then Donna called Louis.

"Louis, Harvey's in the hospital. I need to be here, so can you take care of everything at the office?"

"What happened? I'll come down there right now."

"He was attacked. Some asshole beat him half to death." She choked on a sob as the words left her mouth.

"I'm on my way," Louis told her.

"No, don't. You need to take care of things at work."

"Okay. Holy shit. Okay. I'll look after everything at the office. But when we find this asshole, I call dibs on putting him behind bars."

"Thank you, Louis."

An hour later, Rachel called.

"Is he awake?"

"No," Donna replied.

"Mike wants to come over there but I think he could use the distraction of work."

"Let him come if he wants to, Rach. Harvey was there for Mike when you were in the hospital, so if Mike wants to be here for Harvey now, let him do it."

"Okay. Maybe he can sit with Harvey for a while so you can go home and get some rest."

"No, Rach. I'm not leaving him."

"Okay, Donna. I'll come by later."

It wasn't too long before Mike arrived in Harvey's room.

"You look like shit," Donna said as she stood to hug him.

"You don't look much better," Mike replied.

"It's been a rough night. And this chair is _not _comfortable."

"I know you don't want to leave, but you really should get some rest. I promise, I'll call you the second anything changes."

"I _can't_, Mike. I have to be here. I…" she paused, thinking something over. "He and I…"

"I know how much you guys have been through. But he wouldn't expect you to be here without any rest."

"It's my fault he's here."

"What? How?"

"He… We're together, Mike." She paused to let that sink in. "And he was supposed to be with me last night but I assumed he was caught up at work so I didn't push it and now…" she bit her lip, fighting back tears.

"You're… _together _together?" Mike's mouth was agape. "How long?"

"A month." She smiled. "And 13 years before that."

"Why haven't you told anyone?"

"We were going to. Soon. We didn't want to lie to anyone but we just needed some time. And now…" her eyes filled with tears again as she looked at Harvey.

"He's going to be fine, Donna. The doctor said it himself."

"I know. But I just can't relax until he wakes up and I can talk to him and tell him I love him." She went back to the bedside, touching his arm lightly. Mike watched her for a moment, still processing the news she'd just shared.

"I'm happy for you," he said gently, "for both of you. It's been too long and it's about time you got your shit together. And he's going to be just fine and you two are going to have the rest of your lives together. But his recovery isn't going to be easy on either of you, and you won't be any use to him if you're burned out and exhausted."

"Please, Mike. I can't leave until he's awake. I _have_ to be here when he wakes up." She was pleading with him, her eyes wide and earnest.

"Okay. But once he's awake and you've talked to him and seen that he's okay, promise me you'll go home and get some sleep."

"I will. I promise."

"Good. Now, I'm going to get you a coffee because you look like you need it. I won't be long." He squeezed her arm lightly as he left the room, and she dropped into her chair again.

When a nurse had examined Harvey earlier, Donna had seen the gauze covering the surgical site on his ribs and seen the full extent of the bruising around his chest and sternum. There was so much bruising and so many wounds on him that she was afraid to touch him for fear of causing him more pain. All she could do was rest her hand on his unmarked right arm. Earlier in the morning she'd moved from his left side to his right to be on the less injured side of him, so she could touch his arm gently, feel the warmth of his skin under her hand. She made small circles on the inside of his wrist with her fingertips, willing him to wake up. She knew the doctor had said he would be fine, but she couldn't quite believe it until he was awake and talking to her. She watched him while she waited for Mike to return with the coffee. He hardly looked like himself, his sharp cheekbones hidden by swelling and his strong jaw marred by bright purple bruises. The gauze on his eye covered the two moles above his eyebrow, and his beautiful, soft lips were split and swollen. She ached to touch his face and her hand hovered over his cheek.

"It's probably okay for you to touch him." Mike's voice shook her from her thoughts and she pulled her hand back.

"I don't want to hurt him."

"He's probably hurting enough already, I don't think you'll make it worse."

"That's not helpful."

"Sorry." Mike shrugged. "I'm not great at this kind of thing." He sat next to her.

"No one is." Donna bumped her shoulder against Mike's. "But I'm glad you're here."

"I can't believe you guys have been sleeping together for a month and no one knew."

"There's been a lot going on. Everyone has been so distracted." Donna smiled. "It was easy to keep it to ourselves."

"And kinda fun, right?" Mike smirked.

"Oh, a whole lotta fun."

.

It was almost two hours later when Harvey began to stir, a low groan escaping him. Donna leapt out of her chair, her hand still on his arm.

"Harvey?"

"Mmm," he groaned in response, his uncovered eye flickering and then opening completely. "You're here," he rasped, his voice hoarse.

"Of course I am." Her eyes welled with tears.

"I'll get the nurse." Mike left the room at a run.

"How are you?" Donna asked Harvey. "Are you in pain?"

"Uh… a little." He grimaced. "How bad do I look?"

"You've looked better," she admitted. She stroked his arm, a tear escaping her watery eyes. "I was so worried, Harvey. What happened?"

"I, um, I don't know. I was jumped, I guess? I don't remember much."

The nurse came bustling in then, checking him over and asking him questions. A doctor came in a few minutes later and did some more checks, looking at his neurological reactions in particular. She then explained to Harvey his injuries and the procedures they'd done, and then detailed the plan for his recovery. Thankfully, it sounded like it would be straightforward, as long as there were no complications from surgery. The nurse gave Harvey some more pain relief and then left after explaining that the police would need to speak to him soon.

"I'm going to go get some coffee, you guys want anything?" Mike asked, glancing at Donna. She gave him a grateful smile as she shook her head, knowing he was giving them a much-needed moment alone.

"Thank you for being here." Harvey smiled at Donna after Mike had left the room.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else, Harvey. I love you." She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "I was terrified. You have no idea…" Her eyes filled with tears again, for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Hey, hey, I'm okay." He reached up to cup her face, the bandage on his broken fingers scratching at her cheek. "I'm sorry I scared you." He ran his thumb over her lips. "Now will you come here and kiss me please?"

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Donna, all I've been able to think about since I woke up, is kissing you. You won't hurt me. Please, just come here." He was pleading and she couldn't say no. She bent forward, brushing her lips gently against his. They were dry and scratchy and she felt like she was kissing someone else.

"I love you," he murmured against her mouth, softly returning her hesitant kiss. When she pulled back, he studied her seriously. "You look exhausted. Have you slept?"

"No. I promised Mike that I'd go home and get some rest once you were awake, but I don't want to leave you."

"I'm okay. But I should get some more sleep too, so there's no point in you staying and watching me. Go home, get some rest, and come back later. You're no good to me if you're burned out."

"That's what Mike said."

"I guess he really is another me."

"Damn straight," Mike said from the doorway with a cup of coffee. "Now I'm back, you can go home and get some sleep."

"Mike…"

"You promised. Harvey, back me up here?"

"Mike's right. Go home. Sleep. I'm not going anywhere." He lifted his hand as if to reach for her and then remembered that Mike was in the room and he had a charade to keep up. His hand fell back onto the bed. Donna smirked, kissed the corner of his mouth and then left the room, throwing Mike a wink as she did so. Harvey's gaze fell on Mike as he frantically tried to think of an explanation. Mike watched Harvey in amusement for a moment before putting him out of his misery.

"She told me, Harvey."

"She… what?"

"She told me you're together. She was trying to explain why she couldn't leave you and I guess she couldn't keep it to herself after seeing you like this." Mike swallowed heavily. "She was a wreck last night."

"After everything I've done for the past thirteen years, I never wanted to cause her pain again." Harvey sighed. "I can't believe I screwed up _again_."

"This wasn't your fault, Harvey. She knows that."

"Except it _was _my fault."

Mike's eyes narrowed. "Goddamnit, Harvey, what did you do?"

"Look, Mike, I think I'm going to need a lawyer, but I can't get you involved in this. The fewer people who know, the better." Harvey paused. "I need to talk to Jessica."

"Harvey —"

"Don't, Mike." Harvey closed his eyes briefly. "I need to speak to Jessica, and then I need to sleep. _Please_, just trust me on this."

"Fine," Mike agreed. "I'll let it go. For now. But I'm not leaving this alone." He passed Harvey his phone and then left the room.

Harvey lay still for a few minutes, staring at Jessica's name on his phone screen. She was not going to be happy that this shit had resurfaced again. He sighed and tapped her name, lifting the phone to his ear.

"You're alive," she greeted.

"Yup."

"I spoke to Donna this morning. She told me everything."

"Not quite _everything_," Harvey said with trepidation.

"Harvey…" Jessica's tone was warning.

"It's him, Jessica. I found him, went to see him and ended up here."

"Goddamnit, Harvey. I told you to leave this alone, I told you, all those years ago, that this wouldn't end well. And you listened to me. What the _hell _made you dig this up again?"

"He came up in connection with a case Mike's working on. As soon as I saw his name… I couldn't let it go, Jessica. I couldn't let him get away again."

"Jesus Christ, Harvey," she sighed. "I'll get on a flight."

"There's something else you should know."

"What?" She sounded impatient.

"I think he's been following me. Even before I staged the meeting last night. He knows… things."

"What things, Harvey?"

"He knows about Donna. That she and I are… together." He swallowed, feeling strangely nervous about his mentor's reaction to this news. Jessica was silent for a moment and when she spoke again, he thought there was a hint of pride in her voice.

"How do you know that he knows?"

"He threatened her. He told me if I said anything about him to anyone, she'd be next."

"Okay, I'll get on a plane. I'll be there tomorrow."

"Thank you, Jessica."

.

It was after 5pm when Donna arrived back at the hospital. Harvey's eyes were closed, but they opened as she entered the room, as if he'd sensed her presence.

"Hi," she said softly, bending to kiss to top of his head. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Did you get some sleep?"

"Yeah." She took her seat next to him. "Are you in pain?"

"Not really. They gave me something about a half hour ago."

"Good. Don't try to be brave and refuse pain relief, okay?"

"Oh hell no. I'll take all the pain relief they want to give me."

"Okay, Mister, don't get too excited." She laid her hand on his thigh.

"So," he began, "you told Mike."

"Yeah. I just… I needed someone to understand why I felt like I was being torn apart inside."

"I'm sorry I put you through that. I told you I never wanted to cause you pain and I meant it."

"I know you did." She brushed her hand over his hair. "I love you, Harvey Specter." She leaned in to kiss him, his lips softer and more _him _than earlier when he'd first woken up.

.

A little later, Louis arrived with Mike and Rachel. The atmosphere in the room was lively, everyone glad to see Harvey was okay, although by 8pm the patient was beginning to feel a little pain, so everyone made their moves to leave.

"Donna, you want a ride?" Louis asked.

"Uh, no, I'll stay a little longer, thanks Louis."

"Donna, it's okay," Harvey jumped in. "You should go, get some sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty wiped. I'll be asleep soon anyway. You go." He gave her a soft smile and she nodded.

"Louis, I'll meet you downstairs, okay?"

"Sure, Donna." Louis bade farewell to Harvey and left with Mike and Rachel, leaving Donna and Harvey alone.

"I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning." She kissed him gently. "Sleep well."

"You too." He beckoned her closer so he could kiss her again. "Goodnight." He stroked her cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."

.

The following morning at 7am Harvey had a breakfast tray in front of him and was pushing beige slop around bowl with a spoon.

"Morning!" Donna said cheerily as she entered the room, stopping in her tracks when she saw the expression on Harvey's face."what's wrong?"

"This food is disgusting," he grumbled.

Donna chuckled lightly. "Want me to go out and get you something?"

"It's fine." He waved off her suggestion. "I'll eat this yogurt and the jello cup, that'll do for now."

"Okay. Well they only have to keep you going until lunch because you'll have been moved to a private suite by then. I spoke to your insurance company this morning and they're arranging your move as a matter of urgency. They're sending a specialist over too, to make sure you're getting the best care. I also went by your place and got you some clothes so you can be more comfortable. Oh, and your insurance will cover the suit the paramedics had to cut off you. I've got a temp at the office taking calls and sending anything urgent to me by email, and Louis and Alex are covering all your clients."

"You did all that this morning?"

"No, I did some of it last night."

"You're amazing." Harvey was grinning.

"I know." Donna sat down, leaning in to kiss him gently. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"You're in pain." She could see the sheen of perspiration on his forehead.

"I'm fine. I guess the hard stuff they gave me after surgery has worn off."

"Can't they give you more?"

"I don't know. The doctor hasn't been in yet." He shrugged.

"I can go ask the nurse."

"No, it's okay. Just stay with me." Harvey took Donna's hand. She leaned forward, resting her head against his arm, pressing her lips to the crook of his elbow. "Did you sleep last night?" he asked her.

"A little." She closed her eyes, and let out a small sigh. "Can I just take a nap right here?"

"Of course you can." He stroked her hair back from her forehead. Unfortunately at that moment the doctor arrived to check Harvey over and Donna had to get up to give the doctor room to move.

"We'd like to take the bandage off your eye to let it breathe, it'll help with the recovery. But you'll need to be extremely careful not to touch it," Dr Addlestone said.

"Of course." Harvey nodded. "I'd like to be able to see properly again."

"Don't panic if your vision is blurry at first. It should clear up with time, but it might take a few days. And if you start to feel stabbing pains, you need to let us know immediately, it may mean we have to do surgery to stabilise the fracture."

Harvey nodded his agreement and the nurse began to peel the tape and gauze from his face, apologising when he grimaced in pain. When she finally pulled the bandage away, Donna couldn't help but gasp, her hands covering her mouth.

"Am I that hideous?" Harvey joked weakly.

"Of course not." She stroked his arm. "It just looks really painful."

She studied his face carefully. His eye was bloodshot and red-rimmed and his eyelid and eyebrow were purple and swollen. The underside of his eye was almost black with bruising and a crusting of dried blood had gathered on the outer corner. The doctor performed a few vision checks and seemed satisfied, giving one more warning to notify a nurse immediately if the pain worsened.

From there, the morning passed by in a flash. Orderlies arrived to wheel Harvey to his new suite, the specialist appointed by the insurance company arrived and spent an hour assessing Harvey's injuries, while Donna spoke to the temp she'd installed at the office to ensure things were being managed properly.

They'd barely had ten minutes to themselves when Jessica arrived at midday.

"It's about time you two got your shit together," she commented, standing in the doorway and seeing the two of them in quiet conversation, Donna's hand lightly stroking Harvey's arm.

"Jessica. Glad you could make it." Harvey attempted a smile through his pain.

"You look like hell, boy." She stepped into the room, meeting Donna halfway with a warm hug.

"It's good to see you, Jessica," Donna said.

"Good to see you too, Donna. Would you mind giving me some time alone with the patient?"

"Uh, sure." Donna's eyes darted to Harvey and he gave her a small nod. "I'll go to the office and see how everything is. I'll be back later." She hesitated and Jessica chuckled.

"You two need me to turn the other way or something?"

"Wait, you know?" Donna asked.

"I told her," Harvey jumped in.

"You told her and didn't tell me?"

"You told Mike!"

"That was different, you were unconscious!"

"Okay, you two, that's enough," Jessica intervened.

"You're right," Donna sighed. "It doesn't matter." She kissed the top of Harvey's head. "I'll see you later."

As soon as Donna had left the room, Jessica rounded on Harvey.

"How much does she know?"

"Nothing. I don't want her involved in this."

"Goddamnit Harvey. You opened this thing up again and you haven't got the balls to tell her?"

"He threatened her, Jessica! She's in danger because of me and telling her the details only puts her more in the crosshairs!"

"She deserves to know, Harvey. Look at yourself! "Do you want her to end up here too?"

"That is exactly what I'm trying to prevent!" Harvey sucked in a deep breath. "Jessica… I love her."

Jessica softened a little. "I know, Harvey. But you have to trust her with this. She deserves to know why she's at risk. And she sure as hell needs to know what landed you in here, because she looks like she hasn't slept in days."

"She's not the only one."

"The pain that bad?" Jessica showed a rare moment of concern.

"No. Well, yes, but every time she leaves here, I'm on edge until she comes back. I can't stop thinking that he could be out there, waiting for her."

"Even more reason for you to tell her. She needs to be aware." Jessica crossed her arms and Harvey sighed, shaking his head in defeat. "Good," Jessica said, "we're agreed. Now, what are we going to do about this asshole?"

For almost two hours Harvey and Jessica talked, trying to come up with a strategy. They were struggling to agree when Jessica suggested bringing Mike on board.

"You want to involve _more _people in this?"

"Yes, I do. That kid can do things no one else can do, and _will _do things that other won't. You'd be a damn fool not to get him on board."

"Jessica…"

"You called me, Harvey. So listen to what I have to say. You want to solve this, you need to tell the people who are closest to you so they can help. So get on the phone, call Mike, and get him down here."

"No. If I'm bringing people in on this, Donna has to be first. I'm not leaving her out while everyone else is on the inside. She deserves more than that."

"Fine, Harvey. I will brief your protege, you speak to Donna. Call me when it's done and all four of us can talk strategy." With that, Jessica picked up her bag and stalked out of the room, the way that only she could. Harvey sighed, picking up his phone to text Donna.

.

It was almost an hour before Donna returned, and in that time, Harvey had been given more pain relief and subsequently fallen asleep. Donna stood by his bed watching him sleep. His face was still bruised and swollen, but even underneath the injuries she could see how handsome and serene he looked without the daily stress and worry on his face. It was something she'd always marvelled at, how easily he could shake off the day's work and relax. He always looked so peaceful in sleep. She reached out and ran her hand through his hair and he stirred in response, opening his eyes and smiling at her.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he replied. "I missed you."

"I was only gone a few hours."

"But I missed you anyway." He had a silly grin on his face and Donna rolled her eyes.

"You're heavily medicated."

"Yup." He looked like a little boy at Christmas and she couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Here. I brought your favourite." She pulled a tub of Magnolia Bakery banana pudding from her bag and Harvey grinned widely.

"You are an angel sent from heaven for bringing this for me," he said, spooning the pudding into his mouth.

"Are you going to share?" She swiped the spoon from him and took a bite of the pudding, laughing as he stole the spoon back again. "So where's Jessica?"

"She went to see Mike."

"Mike? Why?"

"Uh… just to talk to him about some stuff."

"Harvey…" Donna's tone was warning, knowing he was keeping something from her.

"I know," he said. The fuzz of the pain meds was wearing off, and _fast_. "I need to talk to you about some stuff too. I just need a couple of minutes." He suddenly felt exhausted.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the change in his tone and expression.

"Will you lay with me?" He shifted slightly, trying to make space for her, wincing a little at the pain. Donna clambered onto the bed, trying not to jostle him too much as she did so. She curled her body against him, her head on the pillow next to his, her chin on his shoulder, her arm curled around his bicep.

"Are you in pain?" She asked.

"No," he replied, shaking his head a little. "Just sleepy."

"Go to sleep. I'm not going anywhere. We can talk later." She pressed her lips to his shoulder.

"Love you," he mumbled sleepily.

"I know." She smiled. "Go to sleep." She kissed his shoulder again as he slipped into slumber.

.

Two hours later Jessica and Mike arrived back at the hospital to find Harvey and Donna fast asleep together. Jessica couldn't help but smile.

"I'm glad they finally sorted their shit out," she commented to Mike.

"As long as all of this doesn't ruin anything for them," Mike replied.

"Not on my watch."

Donna stirred, their whispers bringing her back to consciousness.

"Hey," she said, covering her mouth as she yawned.

"Hey," Mike responded. "You two talk?"

"No. The painkillers knocked him out before we got a chance."

"That's okay, we can fill you in."

"No, we can't," Jessica jumped in. "It's important to him that he tell you himself."

"Okay. I don't know what's going on, but I want to be clear that I will do whatever I have to in order to protect him. I won't let him put himself in danger."

"I know." Jessica nodded. Harvey's eyelids fluttered and he let out a low groan.

"Harvey?" Donna stroked his face. "You okay?"

"Mmmm." He nodded without opening his eyes. "My stitches are itching." His voice was husky with sleep and Donna's heart skipped. She loved him like this; sleepy and passive. His hand hovered over his abdomen and she took it, winding her fingers through his.

"Don't touch."

"I know." He opened his eyes. "Oh. Mike, Jessica. Have you three been talking?" His gaze flicked to Donna in alarm.

"No. We haven't. Are you up to it?" She asked.

"Yeah," he confirmed. He looked at Jessica and Mike. "Would you mind giving us some time?"

"Of course," Jessica agreed, standing from the seat she'd taken.

"I'll let Louis know not to come by tonight," Mike said, pulling his phone from his pocket.

"We'll come by in the morning and talk about next steps." Jessica was by the door now, on her way out. Harvey nodded and Mike and Jessica left, leaving them alone in the room.

"What's going on, Harvey? Is this thing bigger than you're letting on?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess it is." He sighed heavily and let go of her hand. "Let me start at the beginning."

* * *

**Well there we go. Let me know what you think!**

**Em xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Recap - Harvey is in the hospital after being badly beaten and was about to tell Donna how/why it had happened. **

**This one is pretty dialogue heavy, so hopefully it's not too arduous!**

* * *

Harvey talked for a long time, telling the story from beginning to end. The story of how he used to have a PI called Leo Dixon. A guy who always got results, but operated under the radar. He was paid in cash, could only ever be contacted by Harvey directly on an untraceable prepaid cell phone and never held a meeting in the same place twice. But after two years, things had taken a turn. Leo had started to get a reputation for working outside the law.

"One of his other clients contacted me, and told me he had suspicions that Leo had been committing serious crimes. Big stuff - theft, assault, breaking and entering… and then a guy turned up dead. A guy who happened to have had some information I'd been looking for to break a case. So I went to Jessica. She told me to cut ties, find a new investigator and forget about anything I'd ever suspected. Of course, I almost never listen to Jessica. I kept working on it, trying to find out what happened, whether Leo really had been involved in that man's death. I went after him, confronted him, asked him if he did it. Suddenly these two huge guys appear and everything gets really shady, _really _fast. The short version is that I was… persuaded to forget about all of it and never contact him again. So I did. It wasn't worth the risk. But it's weighed on me. And recently his name came up in connection with Mike's case and I just couldn't ignore it. I started looking into him, but I guess he knew and was looking into me too. I tried to stage an accidental meeting. I just wanted to tell him to leave, get far away from Mike's case. He knew I was coming. He jumped me. Had two guys hold me while he and another guy beat the shit out of me. And when he was finished, he told me that if he ever even heard my name again he'd come after you."

Harvey sighed heavily and closed his eyes, his head head tilting to lean against Donna's, his fingers flexing against hers. neither of them spoke for a long moment. "I'm so sorry, Donna. I never wanted to drag you into this."

"Don't do that. Don't blame yourself." Donna found her voice.

"You shouldn't have been involved in this. I was stupid, I—"

"Harvey." Donna stopped him. "Yes, you should have told me. We don't keep secrets, we agreed on that. But you didn't drag me into this. _He _did."

"But it's my fault. You're at risk now and I…" his voice shook and he swallowed heavily against the emotion. "I never want to hurt you. I'm sorry. I don't want to screw this up."

"You haven't, Harvey. I'm not going anywhere. I didn't wait thirteen years for you only to run at the first stupid thing you do." She smiled lightly at the tease but Harvey was serious.

"He's dangerous, Donna. You have to be careful. If anything happened to you…"

"How does he even know who I am? I never met him."

"He's been following us. He described you in detail, told me what dress you were wearing last Friday when we got home from work, knew what you ordered for dinner when we went out on Tuesday. He knows where you live. He knows your name, and he knows how much you mean to me." Harvey tried to clear the lump in his throat. "We have to find a way to get him and have him put away, before he comes after you."

"I'm sure he's not coming for me, Harvey. He threatened you, beat you half to death, and he scared you. That's what he wanted. He's not going to keep coming."

"You don't know that. I'm not going to risk your safety. We need to get rid of him."

"I don't want to argue with you about this, Harvey, but _please _don't do anything stupid. Please think this over some more."

Harvey hesitated and then nodded. "Okay." He squeezed Donna's hand.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I know," he smirked. Donna shook her head, chuckling lightly and began to disentangle herself from Harvey. His fingers tightened around hers. "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom. That was one long story."

"Ugh, Fine." He let her up and watched as she crossed the room, admiring her rumpled sweater, the way her jeans hugged her hips, her slightly messy hair. He loved her like this; out of the flashy dresses she wore in the office, no heels, padding around barefoot, her ballet flats discarded somewhere by the end of the bed. This was _his _Donna.

When she left the bathroom he was grinning at he and she couldn't help but grin back. When he looked at her like that she felt her heart flutter. She loved the way he was with her. No one else got to see him this way. Relaxed, happy, loving, smiley. Even with the threat over their heads, he was still giving her that look, the one that showed her exactly how he felt about her. The look he'd hidden for almost thirteen years. She climbed back onto the bed next to him and curled into his body.

"Did you know they called Jessica instead of me?" When you were brought in here, I mean." Her question was quiet but probing. It had been on her mind since that first night.

"I know," Harvey said, running his hand along her arm, "I told them to."

"Why?" A flash of hurt went through her. Harvey watched her for a second, seeing the hurt in her eyes. When he spoke, his voice was soft.

"Because I wanted you to hear it from someone who knew what it would do to you."

Donna was speechless for a moment. "Harvey…" she breathed, tears welling in her eyes.

"I wasn't conscious for long, but I knew that was important."

"I love you so much."

"I know," he replied, "I love you too. You're _everything _to me. I'll do whatever I have to to protect you."

She smiled and looked down at the floor, a shy smile on her face. Harvey marvelled at her; at how she could exude so much confidence in her daily life, but be so inept at taking compliments from him.

At that moment an orderly and a nurse appeared, bringing Harvey's dinner and his evening medication.

"These will make you sleepy, so take them after your meal or you'll be passed out before you finish eating," the nurse warned. Harvey nodded and the two staff members left the room.

"You should go home." he said as he lifted the top off his dinner.

"No, I want to stay."

"I'm going to eat, and then fall asleep. You should go home and so the same."

"I don't like leaving you here alone," Donna admitted reluctantly.

"I'll be asleep. It's okay. Please, go home and sleep." He gave her his best puppy dog eyes and she couldn't help but smile, covering it with a sigh and an eye roll.

"Fine. But I'll be back first thing, okay?"

"Okay." He accepted her gentle kiss.

"Goodnight," she said, softly stroking his bruised cheekbone.

"Night," he replied as he watched her gather her things and leave the room, throwing a wave over her shoulder as she reached the door.

Donna felt uneasy all evening. She knew it was the result of Harvey's story; of knowing that someone had threatened her. All the way home she'd been afraid someone was following her. As she'd showered she kept thinking heard noises in her apartment. When the delivery guy knocked in her door with her food, she hesitated before opening the door. And when she went to bed, every noise made her feel on edge, jumping at car horns in the street, doors slamming elsewhere in the building and the creak of the floors in the apartment above.

Eventually she fell into a restless sleep, but jolted awake with a scream several hours later.

"Harvey," she breathed, jumping out of bed and throwing on the first clothes she could find. She had a bad feeling in her stomach. It was only minutes before she was in a cab, headed for the hospital.

She all but ran into the building, tapping her foot impatiently in the elevator and then running down the hall to Harvey's room. She went straight to his bedside and laid her hand on his chest, finally feeling like she could breathe again when she felt his heart beating steadily under her palm.

"Donna?" His sleepy voice jolted her out of her panicked state and she burst into tears, heavy sobs that racked her body. "What's wrong?" he asked, patting the mattress next to him to invite her to lay next to him. She pressed her body against his, burying her face in his neck as she sobbed.

"I'm sorry," she choked out eventually, sucking in a deep breath.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Just breathe." He rubbed her back as she cried. "What's happening? Talk to me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it's okay." He held her, letting her cry it out, her sobs easing and eventually giving way to tiny hiccups.

"It was only a nightmare," she said in a whisper. "I can't believe I came over here in the middle the night. How stupid."

"You are anything but stupid," Harvey soothed. "Tell me about the nightmare."

"He was here. He smothered you with a pillow and I couldn't do anything. I just had to stand there and watch him kill you." Her voice shook and Harvey tightened his grip on her.

"This is why I want him gone. I don't want you to have to be scared like this. I don't want you ever to have to feel this way."

"I'm not scared for _me, _Harvey, I'm scared for _you_. I don't think I could survive without you. If he takes you from me…" she swallowed hard. "Just please, don't go after him."

"The way you're feeling right now, that's how I've been feeling since he threatened you. But it's the exact reason I have to get rid of him. We can't live our lives like this. We'll always be worried that he's out there, until we _know _that he's not."

"Can I stay here tonight?" She couldn't agree with him, but she also didn't want to argue with him. She was still too scared for him.

"Of course you can. Nurses won't be in until seven, so no one will know we broke the rules." He kissed the top of her head as she nestled into him. "What are you doing? Get in here under the blankets with me." He sounded indignant and Donna chuckled. She got up from the bed, untucking the sheets and sliding in next to Harvey. The feel of his warm body calmed her as she tangled her legs with his.

"How's your pain?" she asked softly.

"Fine. Better when you're here."

"I love you," Donna whispered.

"Love you too," Harvey murmured as he closed his eyes.

Donna had slept fitfully, afraid to move too much for fear of hurting Harvey. He slept like a log, as he always did, barely moving all night.

It was almost 6am when she gently tried to extricate herself from his grasp but was unsuccessful as he stirred and let out a low groan.

"Sorry," she whispered, "I didn't want to wake you."

"S'okay," he mumbled, pulling her closer.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Mmm," he murmured. "Are you?"

"I think so." She disentangled herself from him and climbed out of bed. "Go back to sleep, it's still early. I'm going to go home and change. I'll be back in an hour." She kissed the top of his head and he nodded and closed his eyes.

Donna was true to her word and returned to the hospital in less than an hour. Harvey was still sleeping, so she took the chair next to him and studied his face. The swelling was easing, except around his left eye, where it almost seemed to have gotten worse. The bruising on his face had deepened in colour, purple and blue spreading over most of the left side of his face. His hair was flat and rumpled, and he was still in the hospital robe as he hadn't been allowed out of bed to change, so as not to exacerbate his abdominal wound.

She knew from having slept next to him all night that he was in need of a shower, and she made a lot mental note to ask a nurse or orderly when he'd be allowed out of bed. While she was musing, her phone buzzed. Rachel. She stepped out of the room to answer it without disturbing Harvey.

"Hey Rach."

"Hey. How are you doing? I heard…"

"Mike told you about Harvey and I?"

"He did," Rachel said and then paused for a moment before continuing, "why didn't _you_?"

"I'm sorry. There was just so much we needed to figure out ourselves, we didn't want to put any more pressure on by telling everyone. I know that's a terrible excuse. I shouldn't have kept it from you."

"I won't deny I was a little hurt at first, but it's okay. I get it. How's Harvey doing now?"

"He's pretty good, considering. I think he should recover okay, but it's only been a few days, so we'll see." Donna sighed. She felt bone tired, the last several days wearing heavily on her. She just wanted to wind back the clock, fix the situation before it even happened.

"And how are _you_?" Rachel asked.

"I'm dealing. It's a lot, but I'm okay."

"I'll come by this afternoon, okay? I'll take you out to eat."

"Thanks Rach. You're a star. I'll see you later."

"Call me if you need anything.

"I will."

Donna slipped back into the room and her eyes were immediately drawn to the substantial bulge at Harvey's groin. She grinned; even injured, morning wood was still his wake up call. She climbed onto the bed and pressed her lips to his neck.

"Harvey…" she crooned softly, "good morning." She slipped a hand under the blankets and laid it on his thigh.

"Mmm... hi," he murmured, a smile spreading across his face. His attempted to turn toward he and the smile morphed into a grimace. "Ow," he groaned, his hand landing on his stomach.

"Okay hero, take it easy." She put her hand on his shoulder, helping him to lay back down. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. It just twinged a bit."

"Idiot," Donna said affectionately. "You had surgery two days ago. You have to ease up a bit."

"I know."

"Although…" she looked down at his crotch, "that's one way to solve a problem." She winked at him.

"Not my favourite way," he replied, winking back. His expression changed as he looked at her. "You look tired. Did you sleep?"

"A little."

"Are you still worrying about Dixon?"

"Yes, but that's not why I didn't sleep. I was afraid I might hurt you."

"Donna…"

"I sleep like an eggbeater, Harvey, you know that. I didn't want to hurt you."

"Have you slept at all since I've been here?"

"Not much," Donna admitted sheepishly.

"Why not?"

"I'm just worried about you. Y'know, because these sheets aren't Egyptian cotton and you're hair looks like shit," she joked. Harvey rolled his eyes.

"Donna…"

"Harvey…"

"C'mon. Talk to me."

"It's nothing, Harvey." She folded her arms over her chest defensively but when he narrowed his eyes at her she relented with a sigh. "I just hate that you're in here. I wish we could go back in time so I could convince you to leave the office and come home with me that night."

"Please don't tell me you're blaming yourself for this."

"How could I not? I left you at work, went home and went to bed. And you went rogue and ended up here. I should have taken you with me, I should have kept you safe, kept you from doing something stupid. I should have done my goddamn job, not just as your girlfriend but as a colleague too." Her eyes welled with tears again and Harvey reached for her hand, taking it and rubbing small circles around her knuckles.

"Donna, stop. This isn't on you. I would have done it no matter what." He stroked her cheek gently, wiping away a stray tear. "I've done plenty of stupid shit since we've known each other. Nowhere near as much as I would have done without you, but you know that once my mind is set on something, nothing stops me. You know it better than anyone."

"I just… I thought things would be different now. I naively thought that you would consider our relationship before doing something to put it in jeopardy."

"Jeopardy? What are you talking about?"

"He could have killed you, Harvey! You put yourself in danger without a thought for me, for ya! You can't do that anymore, we've always been a team, but that means something different now." Donna had got up from the bed and was pacing the floor, her eyes still shining with tears.

"Donna, I'm sorry. I didn't think. I was stupid."

"I know." She stopped pacing and sighed heavily. "This is why I don't want you to pursue this."

"I have to," Harvey argued. "I can't let this continue,"

"It's not going to continue! He scared you, he got what he wanted. If you leave it alone and just move on, everything will be fine."

"I can't, Donna." He was pleading now and her heart clenched. "I have to do this. I have to keep us both safe."

Donna rubbed a hand over her face in frustration. She could see already that he wasn't going to change his mind and that thought terrified her.

"I'm going to go to the office today. I need a distraction, and I know Jessica will be here later to talk strategy and I don't think I can be here for it."

"Donna…"

"Harvey, I love you, and I will always support you, but right now, I need some time to process this."

"Please don't go," Harvey begged as she picked her bag up from its position discarded on the floor.

"I'm sorry, but I have to." She kissed the top of his head quickly. "I'll be back tonight." She left the room with tears flowing down her cheeks.

When Donna left her apartment after getting dressed for work, she was startled to find Ray waiting for her outside her building.

"Ray? What are you doing here?"

"The boss called and said you needed a ride to work."

She cursed Harvey under her breath, inwardly rolling her eyes at his behaviour. She didn't let on to the driver, of course; he was her ally and friend. "Thank you, Ray," she said as she climbed into the car.

"I went by the hospital yesterday to see him, but he was sleeping. How's he doing?"

"He's okay. He should recover fine."

"And you?" Ray glanced in the rear view mirror and met Donna's eyes.

"You always were perceptive, Ray," she laughed lightly. "I'm fine. You know, you should stop by today, I'm sure he'd like to see you."

"I was thinking I'd go right after I drop you off."

"That's good." She turned her head to look out the window. She knew Harvey had sent Ray to her by way of apology, but she still felt like she needed to work through everything.

When Ray dropped her off at the firm. She hesitated before getting out of the car.

"Ray?"

"Yes Donna?"

"Thank you. And when you see him, would you tell him that from me too?"

"Of course." Ray nodded. "I'll be back at six to pick you up."

"You don't have to—"

"I'll be back at six," he repeated. Donna smiled and nodded.

"Okay." She began to climb out of the car and then stopped. "Make it five," she said.

"Of course. See you at five."

As Donna made her way into the building she spotted Louis waiting for the elevator. She quickened her pace to catch up with him and he turned when he saw the clicking of her heels.

"Donna." He grinned and pulled her into a huge "I'm glad you're back."

"Thanks Louis."

"How's Harvey?" Louis asked as they stepped into the elevator car.

"He's fine," she replied. "Listen, Louis, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"If it's about helping to manage Harvey's desk while he's off, say no more. You do whatever you need to." The balding man grinned and Donna held back an eye roll. He really was the king of clueless.

"Thank you, Louis, but that's actually not it. I wanted you to know that Harvey and I are together. In a relationship."

"You're… really?" Louis was shocked, she could see that much. His face worked and a muscle in his jaw twitched as he absorbed the news.

"Yes," she said as she studied him. "Are you okay?"

"Are you shitting me? How long has this been going on?"

"A month."

"A month? Goddamnit, Donna, how could you do this?" His face was red, shining with what could only be interpreted as rage.

"He's a good man, Louis," she defended. "I know you and he have had your problems but—"

"You think I'm mad because it's him? Donna, I'm mad because you've been lying to me for a month! I thought our friendship meant more than that."

"This isn't about you, Louis. We kept it to ourselves because we needed to figure it out together first. We were going to let people know soon, but now… well it's different now."

Louis' face changed and he nodded. "You must have… well, I can't imagine how you must have felt when you heard what happened to him."

"I still feel sick about it," she admitted, her eyes welling with tears again.

"Have the police found the guy yet?"

"No. I mean… it's complicated." She wrung her hands in front of her, worrying all over again.

"Are you sure you should be here? Don't you want to be at the hospital?"

"I need the distraction."

"Okay. Well whatever you need, you know where to find me. I'll get it done."

"Thank you, Louis." She hugged him before they exited the elevator and then she strode down the hall, headed straight for Harvey's office.

Mike arrived in Harvey's hospital room to find Ray sitting by his boss' bedside.

"Mike," Harvey greeted.

"Harvey," Mike replied, then turned his attention to the driver, "Ray, how you doing?"

"I'm good, thanks Mike. But I'll leave you guys to it." He stood to leave and Mike waved a hand dismissively.

"You don't have to go."

"No, it's okay. I've got to go." He turned to Harvey and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It was good to see you, boss. Take it easy."

"Where's Donna?"

"She… needed some time." Harvey looked away, uncomfortable and as far as Mike could see, a little sad.

"You guys okay?"

"She doesn't want us to go after Dixon. She wants to just move past it. She thinks he'll leave us alone now that he's scared me off."

"Do you think that too?"

"No," Harvey admitted, "I don't. I know this guy. He'll be back. Unless we make sure he's not."

"Have you told Donna that?"

"I really don't want to talk about this, Mike, please just… I can't think about it right now."

"Okay." Both men fell silent for a moment until, "you look like shit," Mike commented.

"Well at least I'll recover. You'll always look like _that_," Harvey shot back.

"Glad to see your sense of humour is still intact."

"Oh I'm not joking."

They bantered back and forth for a while, avoiding any real conversation. When Jessica arrived, she joined in, making fun of both of them with a single sentence, as she had always had the talent for, before turning the conversation to the matter at hand.

"I didn't fly in from Chicago just to tell you two what asses you are. So what are we going to do about Leo Dixon?"

"I worked on it last night and I've got three potential action plans," Mike said, pulling two folders from his messenger bag and passing one each to Jessica and Harvey. They both read in silence, thumbing through the pages as they peruses Mike's work.

"This is good," Jessica said.

"Not good enough," Harvey responded.

"What the hell?" Mike asked. "Those are three solid plans."

"No," Harvey replied, "they're not good enough if they're not foolproof. We _have _to be foolproof. We can't afford to get this wrong."

"We can do any one of these with minimal risk," Jessica interjected.

"You're not hearing me. Minimal risk isn't acceptable. This has to be a sure thing." Harvey's voice was firm.

"Harvey—"

"No. Donna is at risk and I will not put her in any more danger by rushing into a plan that isn't a hundred percent risk free. This is not negotiable."

"Then we need another plan," Jessica said calmly.

"We've never done anything foolproof. All any of us has ever done is take risks. What the hell are you expecting here?" Mike asked, irritation laced through his voice.

"I don't know, Mike. But there is no way in hell that I'm risking Donna!"

"Okay boys, calm down," Jessica intervened. "We need ideas, and snapping at each other isn't helping."

"We need to find something on him," Harvey said. "We need evidence of some of the shit he's done in the past."

"I'll go back to the office and start looking," Mike said, standing up and starting for the door.

"Be careful, Mike. If you tip him off…" Harvey's warning died on his tongue.

"I won't. I'll let you know when I come up with something." And with that he was gone. Jessica looked at Harvey and sighed.

"I know you want to protect her, but are you sure you don't want to go with one of these ideas? They're good."

"I know they are, but I'm sure as hell that I'm not going to put her in jeopardy. I wasted too much time not being with her, I'm not going to screw it up now."

"Fine," Jessica acquiesced. "We will find a fix for this. But when I say _we_, I mean me and the kid. You can't be anywhere near this."

"Fine," Harvey grumbled, laying back against his pillows.

"I'm going to see if I can catch Mike, let him ride back with me," Jessica said, heading for the door. "Try and take a shower, would you?"

Jessica caught up with Mike just as he reached the elevator, thanks to her long strides.

"Jessica." Mike wasn't surprised to see her catching up to him.

"We need to put any one of these into action," she said, waving the folder at him.

"But Harvey said no."

"I don't care what Harvey said. This is good work, and there isn't any reason they wouldn't be effective."

"Jessica, Harvey was pretty clear."

"He was. But his judgement his clouded. You know what happens to him when someone he cares about is involved. And this isn't just anyone, this is—"

"Donna." Mike nodded. "You're right. He's not thinking straight."

"So get moving on whichever of these proposals you think is the best, and I'll work on spinning a story that'll keep Harvey at bay."

* * *

**Okay, there we go. I haven't resolved much, I know ;)**

**Next chapter is in progress already so hopefully you won't have to wait too long!**

**Em xx**


	3. Chapter 3

Donna was sitting behind Harvey's desk, working through his emails, when Rachel walked through the door.

"Rachel, hi!" Donna stood up to hug her friend.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to be here today?" Rachel asked, having heard from Louis that Donna was in the building.

"It was a snap decision. I needed some space from Harvey and the hospital."

"Is everything okay? What happened?" Rachel's voice was laced with concern and she reached out, her hand on her friend's arm.

"He's done something stupid and I…" Donna rubbed her forehead, "...I don't know if I can accept it."

"Oh my god, Donna. You're breaking up?"

"No, of course not," Donna hastened to clarify, "I just needed some time to process everything and I couldn't do that with him in the room."

"And? How's that going?"

"Well I picked the one place in this building where he's the most present, and yet I can't bear to be anywhere else. I can't seem to get any space from him."

"I know that feeling," Rachel said, and Donna nodded in response. She knew her friend was referring to the time her fiancé had been in prison. "Why don't we go to lunch? I came to take Mike out, but I think you need my company more. You can tell me all about this stupid thing Harvey's done, and how on earth you two even got together in the first place. Maybe it'll help."

"That would be perfect, Rach. Thanks."

.

Donna had finished her story about Harvey showing up at her door and everything that had happened after, and Rachel looked as though she might burst.

"I can't believe all of that happened and you have been hiding it this whole time!"

"It hasn't been easy to keep it quiet. But we needed the time to figure ourselves out."

"And how's the uh… _yoga_?" Rachel asked with a cheeky grin.

"Frequent," Donna said with a wink, "and _incredible_."

"Better than Stephen?"

"Oh yes. I've never had… yoga… like it. Well, once," Donna admitted. Rachel raised her eyebrows in silent question. "Thirteen years ago." Donna's tone was meaningful and Rachel grinned.

"I'm happy for you. It took you long enough, you deserve to be happy."

"Thanks Rach."

"So what's this stupid thing he's done?"

"I can't talk about it right now. This isn't the time or the place," Donna said apologetically.

"Okay. Well if you change your mind, I'll be more than happy to listen."

"I know." Donna smiled at her friend across the table.

.

Later that evening, Ray dropped Donna off at the hospital and she'd taken a few moments to collect her thoughts before taking the elevator to the third floor. When she arrived at Harvey's room, she stood in the doorway for a moment, studying him. He was fiddling with his phone, a frown on his face, but he sensed her presence, looking up almost immediately.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she replied from her position by the door.

"You still mad?" He asked. She sighed and shook her head.

"I wasn't mad." She stepped into the room, her heels clicking lightly on the linoleum. "I just needed time to process."

"And how's that going?"

"It's a work in progress." She kicked her shoes off and sat down in the chair by his bed. "How was your day?"

"Uneventful." He shrugged and then smiled, almost gleeful. "Except they changed my dressing to a waterproof one so I could shower." He looked pleased with himself and she held back a laugh.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you really don't look like you've showered."

"I haven't. They were going to send an orderly to help me, but I said no. I was hoping you'd help." He looked hopeful, innocent, and she felt a warmth in her chest.

"Of course I will. Just tell me what you need."

"First I need you to put _that _on my arm." He gestured to a plastic sheath on the end of the bed. Donna picked it up and burst into laughter.

"This looks like a giant condom," she gasped through her giggles. Harvey rolled his eyes, but his lips curved into a smile nonetheless. Donna slid the plastic over his plaster cast and secured it above his elbow, encasing his arm in the plastic. Harvey used his good hand to throw the blankets back and slowly swung his legs around until he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He took a deep breath through the pain.

"You okay?" Donna asked.

"Yeah. It's just the movement that hurts. It eases when I'm still."

"You need a minute?"

"No, I'm okay." He took her hand as he stood and put his arm across her shoulders for support as they walked slowly to the bathroom. She helped him sit on the bench installed in the shower and unfastened the tie at the back of his hospital gown, sliding the garment off him and tossing it to the corner of the room. Harvey stood, turning the water on while Donna undressed.

She watched as he braced himself against the shower wall, the water sluicing over his head and neck, running over the hard muscle of his shoulders and the bruises that bloomed around his ribs and then gliding over his firm backside and solid thighs. She stepped in behind him and held him at the waist, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

"You okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah. My eye stings a bit."

"Then get your face out of the water," she chastised. She applied the slightest pressure to his right side, turning him to face her so the water was hitting the back of his head and his shoulders. She watched as his eyes ran over her body and she rolled her eyes. "You're still injured, Harvey. We are _not _having sex in this shower."

"I know." He rolled his eyes back at her. "But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate how sexy you are."

"Alright, calm down." She squeezed soap into her hand from the wall dispenser and began to rub it over his shoulders and chest. Her touch was light over his bruised ribs and sternum but he still sucked in a breath as her fingers passed across the worst of his bruising. "Sorry," she whispered, meeting his eyes. He shook his head to let her know it was okay.

She carried on, lathering his body clean, trying to avoid touching the worst of his injuries. When she'd washed his upper body and his hair, she stopped, cocking her head at him.

"I'll do it," he said before she could speak. "You might be the death of me otherwise."

"Okay." She smiled lightly, watching as he squeezed soap into his hand. As he washed his lower body she studied the bruising on his abdomen. The worst of it was his ribs on his left side, hidden somewhat by the dressing over his surgical site. The bright purple bruising bloomed upwards toward his shoulder, colouring his collarbone and chest. She felt tears pooling in her eyes as she looked him over, realising how close she could have come to losing him.

"I'm okay," he said softly, reading her face.

"I know," she replied, swallowing the lump in her throat and pushing the thoughts away. "You all done?"

"Yeah." Harvey switched the water off and Donna grabbed a towel to wrap around herself before taking up the other and rubbing it over Harvey's back. She rubbed dry all the parts of him that weren't bruised then let him pat dry the rest while she rifled through the bag she'd brought for him days earlier. She extracted a pair of sweats and a t-shirt for him and her own sweats and one of his raglans for herself. She helped him dress, struck by the intimacy of the situation. Despite being in good shape, Harvey wasn't one for casual nakedness; when he was naked it was almost always sexual, so this felt strangely more intimate than anything they'd ever done together.

When they were both dressed, Donna helped Harvey back into bed and then climbed in next to him, grateful for the top insurance premiums he paid that meant he could have a bed big enough for both of them.

She sat cross-legged beside him, turning the tv on and flicking through the channels before settling on a baseball game. She'd only wanted it for background noise, but it immediately drew Harvey's attention.

"How'd it go with Jessica and Mike today?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"Your planning session with Mike and Jessica. Did you come up with anything? Did they have any ideas?"

"Not really."

"You didn't come up with anything at all?"

"Mm." Harvey wasn't paying attention. Donna rolled her eyes and switched the tv off. "Hey!" He exclaimed.

"You're not listening to me."

"Sorry." He had the decency to look contrite and she shook her head, struggling to be mad at him.

"I was asking how it went with Jessica and Mike."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Of course I do. Just because I'm struggling to come to terms with this doesn't mean I want to be kept in the dark."

"We don't have anything, so there's nothing to keep you in the dark about." He shrugged.

"Nothing? With _Mike _on the case?"

"He came up with a few options but none of them were foolproof so I sent him back to find something better."

"What do you mean by foolproof?"

"I'm not going after Dixon unless it's a sure thing. He's already threatened you and put me in here, so if we're going to make a move on him, it has to be completely and utterly foolproof." Harvey placed his hand on her leg, squeezing lightly.

"Good. I'm glad you're being sensible about this."

"Donna, I heard what you were saying this morning. I don't want to increase the risk of him coming for us. I don't want him coming for you. I want to do this the right way." He paused, mulling over his next words before uttering them carefully, "but I am going to do it."

"Okay, Harvey." She laid her hand over the top of his, weaving their fingers together. "Just please promise me you'll continue to be sensible about this. And that you'll keep me in the loop."

"I promise." He squeezed her hand lightly. She tilted her head to lean against his shoulder and closed her eyes, relishing in the comfort of having him next to her. She turned the tv on again and they sat in silence for a while, just watching the game. A light knocking at the door drew their attention to Louis, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Louis! Come in." Donna smiled warmly at her friend.

"Are you two going to tell me what's going on?" Louis asked as he crossed the room.

"Louis, I told you this morning—"

"Not that. I want to know why Mike and Jessica have been back in our firm all day, having intense discussions in the vacant office on the 42nd floor. Something is going on and I will not be kept in the dark."

"Louis," Donna began, "its not—"

"Don't bullshit me, Donna."

"Watch yourself, Louis," Harvey intervened.

"Goddamnit, just tell me what's going on!" Louis was practically begging, desperate not to be left out.

"Okay Louis, you really want to know? Here it is." Harvey told his story again, with fewer details than he'd given Donna the previous night, but including everything pertinent. By the time he'd finished speaking, Louis was significantly agitated.

"What the f—" he stopped himself and his eyes flicked to Donna, "Donna, I need to speak to you privately."

"Louis." Harvey's tone was low, warning.

"I was speaking to Donna, not you," Louis said sharply. Donna squeezed Harvey's hand gently.

"It's okay," she said softly. She slid off the bed and followed Louis out of the room, keeping up with his strides down the hall until he stopped and turned to her.

"You can't let him drag you down with this."

"Louis, stop."

"No, I won't. Goddamnit, Donna, you need to cut ties with him right now. If you leave him now, you can be safe. I'll take this to the partners and have him removed from the firm and we can all go on with our lives."

"Louis, I need you to listen to me carefully. I am not leaving Harvey. Not now, not ever. And you will _not _take this to the partners, or to _anyone_." She felt rage simmering in her. "You asked us what was going on and Harvey told you. We're not asking you to be involved, and now I'm telling you that if this is how you're going to react, I don't _want _you involved."

"Donna—"

"Shut the hell up, Louis." Donna turned on her heel and started back toward Harvey's room. She stopped part way down the hall and threw over her shoulder, "go home. And don't come back here."

She entered Harvey's room with a sigh, settling onto the bed with him again.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. But Louis is an asshole." The venom in her voice surprised Harvey. What surprised him more was that she didn't elaborate.

"What did he say to you?"

"It doesn't matter because it was absurd anyway."

"Donna. What did he say?" he pressed.

"He told me to leave you."

"Donna…"

"I'm not going to. I might not necessarily agree with your plan, but I'm not going anywhere. Ever." Her voice was fierce.

"Thank you," he said softly.

"But he said he could have you removed from the firm. I told him not to do anything, but I don't know if he'll listen." She was hesitant, anticipating his reaction.

"Then we need to convince him."

"I don't think he'll listen to you either."

"I'm not talking about me."

"Then who?"

"Samantha."

"Harvey, I don't know—"

"He'll listen to her. He respects her, admires her. If we can get her on board, he'll do as she says."

"I thought you wanted to keep this quiet. There's a lot more people in on this every day."

"I know. But I trust Samantha. She'll be on our side."

"Okay. Call her, we need to deal with this before he does anything stupid."

.

After Harvey's conversation with Samantha, in which she'd insisted on helping Mike and Jessica, he ended the call, setting his phone aside and wrapping his arm around Donna's shoulders.

"She's on board. She's even going to help Mike and Jessica on the case."

"That's good. She's good, she'll come up with something." Stifling a yawn, Donna curled her body into Harvey's, her face pressed into his neck.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just tired. I didn't sleep so well last night."

"You want to stay here tonight?"

"I don't want to hurt you. You know how restless I am in my sleep."

"I know. But the pain is a lot better than it was. And I want you here."

"Okay." She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I like sleeping next to you."

"You do, huh?" He felt an enormous wave of affection for her.

"Yeah." She stifled a yawn. "I spent way too long not sleeping with you, and now I'm used to it and I don't want it to stop."

"I like sleeping with you too," Harvey said with a suggestive lilt to his words. Donna chuckled lightly.

"Alright, down boy."

"I love you," Harvey said softly, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"I know," she replied sleepily, a smile on her face.

.

When Harvey woke the next morning, Donna was still asleep on his shoulder. He didn't think she'd moved all night, completely exhausted from recent events. His phone buzzed on the nightstand and he stared at it in frustration, unable tto reach it with his hand trapped under Donna's body.

He watched as it buzzed across the table, craning his neck to get the right angle to see the caller ID. Mike. Of course. He looked back at Donna, her face peaceful in her slumber, relaxed and at ease. She'd been worried about him since the attack and she'd been looking weary underneath the brave face she was putting on. As he watched her he saw her lips twitch and he smiled as he watched her wake, her eyes blinking slowly open, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she replied. "How do you feel?"

"Fine. Mike's been calling."

"Oh?" She sat up, stretching a little. "What did he say?"

"I haven't been able to reach my phone," he said pointedly, a smile playing at his lips. Donna chuckled, not at all sorry for being the reason, but leaned over to grab it for him. He called Mike back straight away.

"Harvey," Mike answered.

"Mike. What do you have?"

"What makes you think I have something?"

"You don't call three times in a row if you've got nothing. So let's hear it."

"It might be something. I'm coming by this morning and I'll bring what I've got."

"Okay Mike. But this better not be more bullshit that puts us at risk and wastes time."

"It's not. I'll be there in a hour."

"He's coming here," Harvey told Donna after he'd ended the call. She nodded.

"Good. That's good. It gives you something to do while I go to work."

"Can't you stay?" He tried to keep the whine out of his voice but wasn't completely successful. Donna smirked a little.

"I need to be at work, Harvey. The firm doesn't stop functioning just because you're in the hospital. I have to keep an eye on things and I can't do that from here, no matter how awesome I am."

"I know," he sighed, and Donna chuckled.

"Stop pouting." She climbed off the bed and stretched.

"You're going _now?_"

"I need to go home and change. Mike will be here soon, you'll be absolutely fine."

"Will you call Ray to take you, please?"

"I don't need—"

"I know you don't, but I'd rather know you're safe," Harvey cut her off, ignoring her attempt at a protest. "Ray will keep you safe."

"Okay. I'll call him."

.

Donna hadn't been gone long when Mike arrived.

"How can your hair still look that bad?" He joked as he walked in the door.

"Says the man who has a different hairstyle every week," Harvey threw back. "What have you got for me?"

"I spoke to Sean Cahill."

"You what? Mike, I thought I was clear on this - no one else can be involved."

"Hear me out. Cahill is giving me access to the guy he had follow us during the whole thing with Woodall. This guy is ex-CIA. A real spook. He's invisible, and he's going to surveil Dixon for three weeks, to try to find us something we can use."

"Are you shitting me right now?"

"... no?" Mikes answer was apprehensive.

"This isn't any less risky than any of your other plans."

"You're not hearing me. This guy is a spook. He will get _everything _we need and he'll be completely undetectable. This is not a risk. This is the most foolproof thing we can possibly hope to find."

Harvey let out a breath, thinking for a moment before he spoke. "Fine. But you better be right about this. If anything happens to Donna…"

"I know. This is the best we have. I think it'll work." Mike bit down on the tip of his tongue, thinking over the rest of the plan that he wasn't telling Harvey about. The part of the plan that _was _a risk, or at least at far as Harvey would see it. He wasn't going to let his friend in on the details, knowing Harvey would shut it down immediately, but that didn't ease the guilt he felt for keeping it secret.

"Okay then. Put it in place. And loop Samantha in on the plan. She wants to be involved."

"You just gone done ripping me a new one for telling Cahill and now Samantha is involved?"

"She's one of us. She's got skills we might need and contacts we could use. She wants to help and I want her to be part of this." Harvey was genuine and earnest and Mike couldn't argue. This was Harvey's life. He was calling the shots.

"Okay. I'll fill her in." Mike paused for a moment and Harvey narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just wondered how are things with Donna?"

"And would you like me to paint your nails while gossip and eat ice cream?" Harvey asked acerbically.

"Come on, Harvey. I'm trying to be a good friend here. I thought you might want to talk about it."

"I don't. I just want to get her out of danger so we can go on with our lives."

"Okay, okay. I'll go back to the firm and talk to Samantha. Enjoy your solitary day." And with that, Mike left the room, the bitterness from his words hanging in the air. Harvey shook his head, annoyed with himself. He knew he was pushing Mike away but he had no mental space for anything other than concern for Donna's safety. Every time she was out of his sight, his blood pressure rose and he felt the beginning spikes of the panic attacks he thought were long behind him. He'd never admit it, but he'd signed up to a meditation app to help keep the panic at bay. He'd never anticipated feeling this strongly about anyone, even Donna, but he loved her more than he'd ever dreamed possible and the intensity of it frightened and exhilarated him all at once.

He took a deep breath as a member of hospital staff arrived with his breakfast tray and his menu options for the rest of the day. All he could do now was be patient, breathe, and try to stay calm. He had to believe everything would work out, even though it was out of his control.


	4. Chapter 4

Harvey was in a foul mood and Donna's patience was wearing thin. He'd been discharged from hospital, but had been told by the doctor that he couldn't work for another two weeks while he healed properly, and he was bored and cranky. He was resenting Donna for going to the office every day, and she was frustrated by his mood and his treating her like his own personal servant. She'd been doing his laundry, cooking for him, reminding him to take his meds and accompanying him to doctors appointments, in addition to going to work and overseeing everything at the firm.

"Hi, you," she answered her phone late Monday afternoon, a week after he'd left the hospital.

"When are you coming home?" Harvey asked sullenly on the other end. She gritted her teeth and looked at the clock.

"I'll be another hour or so. You okay?"

"An hour?" She could almost _hear _him pouting.

"I've still got work to do." She tried to keep the bite out of her voice but it wasn't easy.

"Fine." And he ended the call. She stared at her phone in disbelief, quietly seething.

"Hey, Donna, are you— woah." Mike stopped just inside her office door. "Something wrong?" He asked cautiously.

"You'd better be here with news on Harvey's case, because I have had it up to _here_ with his shitty moods." Her tone was vaguely menacing and Mike winced.

"I wish I was. But actually I —"

"Nope. You get nothing from me until you give me something I can take home to appease him."

"Give me what I need and I might be able to," Mike bargained and she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, you win. What do you need?"

"Three more associates."

"Three? Katrina won't like that." Donna sat back in her chair, studying him.

"I know she's in charge of them now, but if _you _reassign them then she's more likely to agree than if I ask her."

"Fine. I'll tell her I've reassigned them to you. But you had better start getting some results. If he comes back to work next week and you've got _nothing_… he won't be happy, Mike."

"I know. I'm working on it. Just trust me."

"I always do."

.

When she arrived home an hour later, Harvey was pacing on the balcony.

"Good, you're getting some fresh air," Donna said as she kissed his cheek in greeting.

"There's not much else to do around here."

"I know," she said soothingly. "It's only a few more days and you'll be back at work."

"A few days is too long," he grumbled.

"I know."

"How about I take Friday off and we go away somewhere for the weekend? Just the two of us?"

"What's the point?" Harvey shrugged.

"The point is that maybe we can get out of town and have some downtime."

"I've had nothing _but _downtime for weeks."

"Some time away from this place wouldn't do you any harm, Harvey."

"You're not wrong there," he said humorlessly.

"Come on," she pressed, "let me take you away somewhere for the weekend."

"Fine, if that's what you want." He shrugged again and she sighed heavily.

"Is it what _you _want?"

"I just want to be working."

"I know, Harvey, I know. It's all you've talked about for two weeks." Her tone was harsher than she'd intended and Harvey turned a glare on her.

"Oh, well I'm sorry my boredom is such an inconvenience for you," he snapped.

"Would you just—" she took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "I'm doing my best. I know you're bored, and I know you're frustrated, but—"

"You _don't _know!" Harvey exploded, throwing his hands in the air. "You're _so_ understanding, _so_ sympathetic but you don't _get_ it! You get to go to work every day, get out of this apartment and do the thing you're good at. And I have to sit here, alone, for _hours_ on end so I don't get _stressed_. Do you know how much stress it causes me to be dealing with this bullshit?"

"You think _you're _stressed? Do you have any idea how difficult you've been since you left the hospital? I've cooked, I've cleaned, I've taken you to the doctor, I've gone to work and you have sat here, wallowing in your own misery. I'm not your housewife, Harvey. I'm not your nurse."

"Go then," he snapped angrily. "If I'm so goddamned difficult to live with, why are you still here?"

"Because I fucking love you!" she exclaimed. "Because I'm absolutely fucking petrified of losing you! Because seeing you in that hospital bed tore out my fucking heart." Her eyes filled with tears. "I can't leave you. I can't." She took a breath. "Let me know if you need more reasons."

Harvey was still for a moment and then he took two strides toward her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry," he said into her hair. "I'm sorry. You're right. I've been a nightmare." He pulled back to look at her, brushing a tear from her cheek. "Let's go away this weekend like you said. It'll be good for both of us."

"So that's it?" She asked suspiciously, wiping her watery eyes. "You're going to stop being moody just like that?"

"I can't promise anything," he said with a half smile. But I'll try."

She nodded. "Okay. Now come inside, it's getting cold."

"I'll be there in a minute." He gave her a reassuring smile and she nodded, giving him space for the moment. She knew he felt guilty for lashing out.

He watched her leave and then turned back to face the city skyline. His eyes browsed the buildings, watching lights flick on in the twilight, hearing the distant noise from the street below drifting up toward him. His insides were churning at the hot guilt sitting in the pit of his stomach. He knew he'd been out of line with his outburst, and there was nothing Donna deserved more than his gratitude, love and support. She certainly didn't deserve his anger and bad attitude.

A few minutes later, he followed her lead and moved into the apartment, seeing her standing in front of the fridge, removing vegetables to bake into a chicken and vegetable pie.

"Let me help you," he said, a hand on her waist as he kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, Harvey."

.

The next morning Donna woke in a much better mood. After Harvey had helped her cook dinner, they'd spent the evening researching where to go for their weekend break. They'd decided to stay reasonably close to home and had chosen a state park a little over an hour away from the city. They'd found a beautiful cabin that was available at short notice. Donna felt excited as she stopped by Louis' office first thing.

"Louis, I need to take a vacation day on Friday."

"Of course, anything you need," Louis replied, sipping his morning prunie.

"You're not going to ask what it's for?"

"I assume you've got something planned with Harvey."

"I do. He needs to get out of town so we're driving out to a cabin near Bear Mountain Thursday night."

"You know, if you want to relax, I can get you guest privileges at my mud club."

"Thank you Louis, but I think the cabin is a little more Harvey's cup of tea."

"Okay then. But if you change your mind, you just say the word."

"Thank you, Louis."

When she returned to her office she texted Harvey.

_Louis has offered us guest passes for his mud club if we want to relax._

Harvey's reply was swift.

_Over my dead body._

.

Bear Mountain State Park was a little over an hour's drive from Manhattan, a five thousand acre park in Rockland County. With Ray having been given the weekend off, Harvey drove up in the Lexus, and Donna took charge of the music and taunted him with showtunes. When they pulled up outside the cabin, it was even more picturesque than it had looked online and Donna squealed softly in excitement.

"It's _beautiful!_"

"It is." Harvey wound his arm around her waist, kissing her temple. "And so are you."

"Always the charmer," she teased, turning to kiss him. "Let's get inside."

They'd brought supplies with them, not knowing how well-stocked the local grocery store would be, so Harvey whipped up a quick dinner of linguine with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes which they ate in front of the fireplace.

"I have a surprise for you," Donna said after they'd finished eating.

"Oh?"

"Wait here." She disappeared down a hallway toward the bedroom and Harvey waited a few minutes, and then a few minutes more, eventually calling out after her.

"Donna? What are you doing?"

"Give me a minute!" Her voice travelled back and he shrugged, getting up to put the plates in the sink. When he turned around again, she was silhouetted in front of the window; an emerald green corset, garter and black stockings visible in the light from the fire.

"Holy shit," he said in a low voice, walking toward her. She struck a dramatic pose and then giggled.

"Surprise?"

"Surprise indeed," he replied, taking her by the waist and kissing her long and slow.

"I thought you deserved a little treat," she said when they parted and he chuckled.

"This definitely counts as a treat." He ran a hand down her back, feeling the laces of the corset under his palm, until he reached bare skin and realised she wasn't wearing any underwear. "God, you're _good_," he said huskily, kissing her again, deeper and more passionate, his tongue caressing hers lustfully, teasing her upper lip and exploring the inside of her mouth.

"Wanna do me by the fire?" She asked with a salacious grin and he could swear his erection sprang up in full at her words.

"Yes," he half-groaned, pulling her back toward him to kiss her again.

He backed her toward the fireplace, laying her down on the plush carpet in front of the fireplace and going to his knees in front of her, bending to press his lips to her left hip and then her right one. He kissed her sensuously on her pubic bone, his tongue teasing the edges of her labia as he suckled and licked everywhere but where she wanted him most. Finally he parted her and flicked his tongue against her clit, causing her head to tip back and a puff of breath to escape her. He shifted so he was lying flat on his stomach in front of her, arms wrapped around her thighs as he lapped at her, penetrating her with his tongue.

The symphony of gasps and moans that were escaping her encouraged him further. He'd always been skilled at cunnilingus (like he was at everything), but in the past with other women he'd selfishly wanted to skip to the main event. With Donna, he craved the taste of her, the feeling of her quivering at his ministrations, the sounds that escaped her as he brought her to the edge over and over again before finally letting her finish. With Donna, it wasn't just a stop on the way to something more enjoyable. With Donna, it was a journey in itself.

Tonight though, he didn't tease her. He brought her straight to the edge and let her crescendo at the peak, her orgasm coming hard and fast; the first of many that evening.

"Fuck," she breathed afterwards, as he rested his face against her thigh, catching his own breath as she did hers. He shifted to his knees, his erection having been uncomfortably pressed between his stomach and the floor. "Need a hand with that?" She asked with a grin, knowing without seeing that he was hard as a rock.

"Don't you worry, I've got something in mind." He unfastened his pants, helped her to sit up, and pulled her onto his lap, sliding her onto his hard length. She let out a low groan as he filled her, the feeling of him inside her still sensitive pussy bringing her close to the edge again. She used his shoulders as leverage to ride him, bringing her face to his to kiss him deeply. They kissed messily, tongues and teeth and lips clashing and colliding in the most sensual way imaginable as they worked one another toward orgasm.

"God, _yes_," Donna moaned lowly when Harvey moved his lips to her neck. She tipped her head to the side to let his lips and tongue play with the skin below her earlobe. She fumbled with the neck of his sweater, sliding her hand underneath to scrape her nails along the back of his neck. A chuckle bubbled in her throat as she realised that he was still completely dressed.

"What?" he asked, hearing her chortle.

"Nothing," she replied, "just… I can't believe you've still got your clothes on. The last time we did it like this was that night in your office. After you came back from Boston."

"I remember," Harvey replied with a grin. "You came so fast I thought you were faking it."

"No you did not!" She slapped his chest with a giggle.

"No, I didn't. I knew it was all because of me." A cocky smile split his face and she threw her back with a laugh that morphed into a moan as he took the opportunity to thrust hard into her. With renewed vigour she rode him harder, taking the lead as they raced toward climax. She came with a jerk and a groan and with a few more strokes he followed suit with a low grunt.

"You're beautiful," Harvey panted softly.

"And I love you," Donna replied, kissing him deeply.

.

Sometime during the night they managed to stumble into the bedroom and make love again there before falling asleep, and when Donna woke in the morning the sun was shining through the open drapes onto their naked bodies. She admired Harvey's slumbering form: from his feet and along his strong legs, his impressive penis laying along his thigh, over his firm stomach, the scar on his ribs, his hard pecs, his chiselled jaw, soft lips and closed eyes, and his messy bed hair. He was so peaceful and serene in his sleep, and her heart swelled with love for every inch of him.

His bruising had almost completed faded and she could only see it if she really looked for the discolouration. His eye had healed and there was a fading scar, but the doctors had assured them he wouldn't have lasting damage. His arm was still plastered as it healed from the break, and the angry scar over his ribs was still bright and stood out against his skin, but he looked like himself again and she was glad of it.

She wanted to touch him, to curl into him, to kiss his soft lips, but she couldn't bear to wake him while he looked so calm. She knew that as soon as he started back to work he'd dive headfirst into working on the case against Dixon and she was already anticipating the stress and worry it would cause him. Moments like this, when he was at peace in slumber, were going to be precious in the coming months.

As she mused, he stirred and his eyelids flickered, opening and blinking a few times as he recalled his surroundings. He turned his head toward her and a smile appeared on his face.

"Good morning," he said, his voice raspy from sleep.

"Morning," Donna replied, sliding over to nestle into his body, pressing a kiss to his jaw. "Sleep okay?"

"Very. You?" He ran his hand up and down her arm, over her shoulder and her back in an idle pattern. She closed her eyes at the relaxing sensation and hummed in assent. Call her a sap, but cuddling with Harvey in the mornings was her favourite part of the day. His warm body against hers, the comfort of being in his arms, the security of his love in her heart. "I love you," he said softly.

"Love you too," she murmured, squeezing him slightly with the arm she'd laid across his torso. He returned her soft words, kissing the top of her head as a chorus of birds started singing outside the cabin, setting off their weekend to a perfect beginning.

.

Sunday evening came around too fast - after lazy mornings in bed, long walks in the afternoons and evenings by the fire. As they unpacked their bags upon their return to Manhattan, Donna pouted slightly at having left their little slice of heaven.

"Don't pout," Harvey said gently, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his side. "We'll go back, I promise."

"I don't want to go back to reality tomorrow."

"I know. But I need to get back to work. You saw what being away from the office was doing to me."

"I definitely did. And I don't wish for more of _that, _but I liked having you all to myself."

"You'll have me every night, I promise. No more late nights at work."

Donna saw an opportunity and took it. "Harvey, sit down. I want to talk to you about that, actually."

"Okay," he said hesitantly, sitting on the edge of the bed. She sat alongside him, taking his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together.

"I want you to stick to that - no late nights at work. If you have work to do, you need to bring it home."

"Donna—"

"Let me finish," she instructed and he nodded. "I'm not letting you put yourself in a situation like that again, okay? We leave work together, and we come home together. You tell me about the cases you're working on, and you stay away from Mike's work on Dixon. You're the plaintiff, not the attorney."

"I can't agree to that. I have to work with Mike on Dixon. All the rest of it, yes, fine, absolutely, but I can't let someone else build my case, even if it is Mike."

"I don't want you near it. You're the one who told me what could happen if Dixon finds out there even _is _a case, let alone if he knows you're building it."

"I know I did. But even aside from everything else, Mike will have to go back to Seattle eventually. He won't be able to do everything from there. _Please_, Donna, let me do this."

He was pleading, his voice more desperate than she'd ever heard him, except maybe for once, many years ago, when he'd asked her to come back to his desk. She mulled this over for a moment, mentally weighing the pros and cons of the situation. She didn't want to be the type of girlfriend who monitored his every move, but she was also cautious of allowing him to get himself into a dangerous situation again.

"We both know I could never truly forbid you to do anything, and you wouldn't accept it anyway, even if I tried. So if you feel like you have to do this, then I won't tell you not to. But I need to know what's going on at all times. And I need to know who you're meeting and when. I'm not letting you end up in hospital again." Her voice was fierce as she said the final words; a lioness protecting her mate.

"Okay. I promise, I won't leave you out of the loop." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his body. "I know this isn't easy for you. But I need you to trust me. I won't put myself in danger intentionally, and I'd never do anything to put _you _in danger either."

"I know," she acquiesced. "But I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

.

Several days passed without event. No news had come from Cahill or his ex-CIA contact. They hadn't even been given the guy's name, let alone a phone number or any way of getting in touch with him, so their hands were tied with regard to updates on the case.

Out of the blue one Tuesday morning, Mike's phone rang as he sat in the airport lounge waiting for his flight back to Seattle. He and Rachel were required back at their firm; as much as they'd wanted to stay, it was time to get back to their lives.

"Mike Ross," he answered.

"Mike, it's Sean Cahill."

"Sean, it's about time. We've been waiting, and none too patiently on Harvey's part. What's going on?"

"We need to meet, can you get to my office tomorrow morning?"

"I'm flying back to Seattle today, Sean."

"Shit." There was a brief pause. "I can't tell you over the phone, he's told me it's not safe."

"Our flight is delayed two hours," Mike said, looking up at the departures board to confirm the delay hadn't changed. "If you can get to Newark, we can talk here."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not. If you can get here, we can talk, otherwise you have two choices. Tell me right now and risk a phone tap or whatever the hell he thinks will happen, or meet with Harvey and give your findings to him."

Cahill swore under his breath but confirmed he'd make the trip to Newark. Both parties knew that it wasn't the best idea for the findings to be given straight to Harvey; he'd go in like a bull in a china shop to try to get on top of the case.

.

To Mike's surprise, Cahill was at Newark within the hour, leaving them thirty minutes to speak in the privacy of a secluded corner of the airport lounge, Rachel nearby acting as a lookout for any prying eyes or ears.

"The main thing he's told me is that Dixon is definitely still following Harvey. And not just Harvey, either."

"Donna."

"Yes. He's been following both of them. He doesn't seem concerned with you, Jessica or anyone else. At first he had people after all of you, but he called that off within days and focused directly on Harvey and Donna. He's been speaking to Harvey's doorman, and he seems to have been casing the building. He's been in and out of Donna's building a number of times, but hasn't entered her apartment or spoken to anyone, he's just been walking the halls and the fire escapes. He's definitely planning something, and I'm not sure how safe they are in their homes right now."

"Fuck."

"If we could get something more on him, we could get authorisation to track his calls, emails all of it, but right now we don't have enough. We need more."

"Okay. I'll have to talk to Harvey. He's not going to like this, Sean." Mike ran a hand through his hair, thinking fast, trying to come up with something. All they had was that Harvey and Donna might need to leave their homes, They had nothing of use to progress the case, to get Dixon caught on any form of charges, and nothing else he'd attempted so far had shown any result. They needed Dixon to slip up.

They needed to lay a trap.

.

Mike phoned Harvey from the airport, giving him that bad news that he and Donna needed to find somewhere else to live temporarily. Harvey was far from pleased but at least Mike took all the property searching out of the equation by offering up his and Rachel's apartment.

"You know, this place is almost nicer than yours," Donna had remarked when they'd walked in, dragging suitcases behind them.

"Hardly," Harvey had scoffed, assessing the place. Smaller and with less light than his own condo, the lack of floor to ceiling windows was already making him feel claustrophobic. But it was familiar and comfortable, and it was the best place for them for now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to Nat for her encouragement and Nanna for being so sweet!**

* * *

Three weeks back at work and Harvey was already working too hard, trying to do too much. Donna had been watching him work himself into the ground and she'd had just about enough.

Tuesday morning she was making coffee while he showered and as she listened absent-mindedly to the whirring of the machine as it ground the beans and watched the liquid swirl into the cups, she resolved to talk to him about his working habits. He needed to slow down, take it easier, let Mike and Samantha help him. If he carried on at the level he'd set himself, he was going to burn out.

When he strode into the kitchen, all hair gel, strong jaw and alluring aftershave, she spent a brief moment admonishing him before gesturing to him to sit down. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he did so. She passed him his coffee and he sipped from the cup, a barely discernible hum escaping him as he got his first caffeine hit of the day.

"You're working too hard," Donna blurted and Harvey chuckled.

"Come on, Donna, I've got to get to work, I have shit to do before I go get this plaster removed this afternoon." He gestured to his left arm as he moved toward the doorway but she stepped in front of him, forcing him to sit down at the table. He dropped into a chair, raising his eyebrows at her in surprise.

"I'm serious," she said. "You're still recovering from the attack, and you promised you wouldn't get too involved in the case, but it's all you've been working on."

"That's not true."

"Oh? Tell me one other case you've been working on." She folded her arms over her chest.

He thought fast. "The Schmoochlensberg brief," he said smugly. She rolled her eyes.

"Don't even try that one on me. I've heard you use it a hundred times."

"Okay, fine, yes, I'm working on it. But with Mike back in Seattle and Samantha dealing with the Spotify acquisition, I need to be on it to make sure it's progressing."

"I know Samantha has been busy with Spotify, but the paperwork is all done now and she'll be able to dedicate more time. And you know Mike is working on it as often as he can. You need to have faith that they will do what needs to be done. You can't be as involved as you are, it's not good for you or for the case. When Dixon is formally charged and his lawyers get wind of how involved you've been, the first thing they'll do is tell him, and he'll have people on you within hours." She sat down adjacent to him, reaching out and curling her hand over his forearm. "_Please_. I'm worried about you."

"There's nothing to worry about, Donna. I'm fine."

"No, You're not." She turned her body toward him, facing him fully. "Let me tell you about the Harvey I've been seeing since you started back at work." She began ticking things off on her fingers as she talked. "You're distracted. You're stressed. You're irritable. You're not eating properly. You're living off coffee and bagels. That isn't healthy. And don't think I haven't noticed how late you come to bed now. It's almost like you're having an affair." She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, hearing his intake of breath and seeing the shock on his face. "Harvey…" she breathed, tightening her hold on him.

"I would never do that to you," he said softly, looking up at her like a kicked puppy.

"I know," she said hurriedly. "I know. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have said that."

Harvey was silent for a long moment, thinking over the past two weeks and everything that had brought them to where they were now. "This case is our lives, Donna. I can see what it's doing to you. You're not the only observant one here." His lips quirked upward slightly when she rolled her eyes, but then his face became serious again. "I know you're not asleep when I come to bed, and I know you're not sleeping well. I see you looking out the window of the car on the way to and from work. I know you're worried about Dixon coming after us."

"I'm worried about _you_! I'm worried this case is consuming you." She shifted her hand. folding it into his, feeling his long fingers against her own. "I love you, Harvey. You know that. And it hurts to watch you killing yourself over this thing when you you've already been at death's door as a result of it once before." She took a shaky breath. "He almost killed you. He could have if he'd wanted to. And you being so close to the investigation only puts you further in his crosshairs. We both know he's watching us. And if he gets an inkling that anything is wrong, he'll come for us again. Yeah, I'm afraid for myself, but I'm more afraid for you and for what could happen to us if this goes wrong. So please, I'm asking you, step back from the case. Come back to me."

Harvey was silent for a moment, thinking over her words. He squeezed her hand gently as he thought, weighing up options and pros and cons. He never could say no to her, and he knew he wouldn't now. "Okay. You win."

"I don't want to _win_, Harvey. I want us to be safe, and I want you to be happy."

"I am happy. I've never been as happy as I am with you." He turned the full force of his intense gaze on her, and it made her feel weak in the knees.

"That's not what I mean. You're stressed, you're worried, you're not sleeping properly. You're not yourself. I just want my Harvey back." She conjured up a smile for him, soft and meaningful. He marvelled at the radiance in her, how she could emanate sunshine and make everything in his world seem brighter.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said gently, squeezing her hand again. "I'm right here."

"Please, Harvey, hear what I'm saying. You need to slow down." She was pleading now. It wasn't something he'd heard form her often and it pulled at his heartstrings, tugging at his last shred of will.

"Okay, Donna. I'll slow down." He leaned in to kiss her cheek and smiled.

"Good." She returned his smile, the sparkle in her eyes mirrored in his. They'd been together in business for a long time, but now that they were _together_ together, nothing was going to tear them apart.

.

The next morning, Harvey's alarm rang at 5.45am. Donna cracked her eyes open, glancing at the time and groaning.

"No, Harvey."

"No what?"

"You're not getting up yet. Go back to sleep for another hour."

"Donna, I need to-"

"No." She rolled to face him, reaching for him and curving her hand around his bicep. "It was almost two when you came to bed, you've had less than four hours of sleep. We talked about this yesterday, you're working too hard. Go back to sleep. At least for an hour."

"I want to get a workout in before I go to the office."

"And you can do it in an hour."

"I'm a grown man, Donna. I can manage my own damn schedule." He wrenched his arm out of her grip and got out of bed, leaving her staring after him.

.

Two nights later Donna awoke in the middle of the night to a strangled yell from Harvey, who was tossing and turning violently in bed.

"Harvey," she said gently, reaching out to shake his shoulder lightly. He slapped her hand away, the sharp sting making her cry out lightly. Harvey's eyes snapped open at the sound and after a moment of bleary confusion he came to his senses and saw her clutching her wrist.

"Oh god. Did I…?"

"You were having a nightmare," she replied, "it's not your fault."

"Let me see." He sat up, reaching for the switch to sconce lighting on the bed head.

"It's fine, don't worry"

"No, it's not fine." He pulled her hand away and saw the red mark on her wrist. His watch had collided heavily with her arm as he'd slapped her hand away. He closed his eyes in shame, hating himself for hurting her. "I'm so sorry."

"I know. You were dreaming, Harvey. It's okay."

"No, it's not!" He dropped his head into his hands.

"Hey, hey." She rubbed his back soothingly, slow circles with her palm warming his skin through his black t-shirt. "Lie down. Let's go back to sleep."

"I can't." He threw back the covers and got out of bed, stumbling to the kitchen and closing the door behind him. Donna stared after him, unsure whether to follow. It wasn't the first nightmare he'd had, but it was the first that he knew she was aware of.

She watched the door for a moment but he didn't reappear so she went after him, finding him on the couch with a glass of scotch. "Hey," she said softly.

"I'm fine," he replied, but the hollowness in his voice betrayed his words.

"No, you're not." She sat down next to him, taking the glass from his hand and swigging from it before handing it back. "You wanna talk about it?"

"No, I don't."

"Then come back to bed."

"No." He still hadn't looked at her, ashamed of himself, the shadows in his head taunting him from the corners of his mind.

"Harvey, you need sleep." She placed her hand on his shoulder, feeling the tension in his muscles.

"Well we just saw how well that's working out for me."

"You're just going to drink yourself unconscious?"

"No, I just…" he let out a heavy sigh, "I just needed something."

"Let _me _be something. Let me be there for you."

"I don't know how," his voice was slightly strangled and he took another gulp of Macallan to mask it. He wasn't sure why he bothered, Donna never missed anything.

"It's okay, Harvey." She shifted closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder and draping her arm around him. "You don't have to say anything. I'm here for you no matter what."

.

The following morning Harvey was up early, running through the Manhattan streets well before 7am. When he arrived back at the apartment, Donna was drinking coffee at the kitchen counter. She wordlessly pushed a cup toward him after accepting his good morning kiss.

"I think you should talk to someone. A therapist." She said gently as he sipped on his coffee.

"No."

"Harvey…"

"We've been over this."

"That was before you started having nightmares. That wasn't nothing last night. You need to work through this with a professional."

"I'm sorry I hurt you." He reached out and turned her wrist over, looking at the bruise he'd caused.

"I couldn't care less about a little bruise. What I _do _care about is you. And you're hurting. You've got demons inside your head that you can't get rid of on your own. You need help."

"I'm fine."

"You're not fine. I know that wasn't the first nightmare you've had. Please think about therapy."

He sighed. "I don't have the best history with therapists," he said awkwardly, his head down, staring at his feet.

"I know," Donna replied, sipping her coffee, "but you need to get over that. A lot has happened, you're different, and you need this."

"I…" he trailed off, knowing she was right, but still hating the idea. As he looked at her he saw the dark circles under her eyes. She'd covered them with makeup but he knew they were there. She'd sat on the couch with him for two hours, drinking scotch and saying nothing. She was just there.

"Go take a shower," she said. "Think about it. You don't have to decide anything right now." She kissed his cheek lightly, avoiding his sweaty forehead, and swatted him lightly on the buttocks.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"You have. But I'll never get tired of hearing it." She smiled after him as he made his way to the bathroom.

.

"Louis, I need a favor."

"Of course, Donna, anything." Louis dropped his pen onto his desk and gave her his full attention. She sat down in front of his desk, crossing one leg gracefully over the other, smoothing her white dress over her knees.

"I want Dr Lipschitz' phone number."

"Donna, if you need to talk about something, I'm here for you."

"It's not for me."

He studied her for a moment, assessing her body language, and while he didn't have the same skills she did, he knew enough about what was going on to come to the right conclusion. "Harvey," he surmised.

"He's struggling, Louis. I think he needs to talk through what happened in order to move past it. If he doesn't talk to someone, he'll never get through this case and the trial unscathed."

"Of course. Here." Louis pulled his iphone from his pocket, finding Stan Lipschitz and sending the contact details over to Donna's phone.

"Thank you," she said as her phone chimed with the incoming contact. She pushed herself up from the chair and turned toward the door.

"Donna?"

"Yeah, Louis?"

"I'm here for both of you, you know. I know I didn't take it well at first, but if either of you need anything, ever, I'll do everything I can."

"I know, Louis. Thank you." She gave him a soft smile before striding out of his office.

.

"Louis gave me the number of his therapist," she said gently as she perched on the edge of Harvey's desk.

"Okay." He didn't look up from his laptop.

"Do you want me to call for you or will you do it?"

"No."

"Harvey…"

"Donna, I'm working. Can we talk about this at home?" His tone was sharp and she winced internally. He wasn't in a good place. She'd seen it coming, observed it's progress as it unfurled within him, but it was getting worse and she was struggling to watch him in pain.

"Okay, Harvey. We'll talk about it later." She left his office, following the hall to her own, picking up her phone from the desk and dialling Mike.

"Donna. What pain in the ass thing has Harvey done now?" Mike answered.

"You need to come back here, Mike. He's not okay."

"What do you mean?"

"This case is consuming him, and he's not dealing with what he went through because he's underwater with the case." Her voice shook despite her best efforts to keep her emotions under control.

"What? What's going on?"

She settled onto the couch in her office, kicking her heels off and curling her feet underneath her. "He's having nightmares. He's irritable, he's not himself. He's stressed and he's worried. I think he's having panic attacks but he's hiding them from me so I can't be sure. He needs help and he won't accept it from me."

"And you think he'll accept it from me."

"No, Mike, I don't. I don't think he'll accept it from anyone. He's stubborn and pig-headed and he needs to come to the idea on his own. But he will accept your help on the case. Because he already knows he needs that."

"Okay, Donna. I'll fly out. Give me a couple of days to arrange things here and then I'll be there."

"Thank you, Mike."

"One question…"

"We'll find somewhere else so you can have your apartment."

"Actually, that's not it. I'll stay with Robert and Laura. I was going to ask if he knows you've called me."

"No, Mike, he doesn't. And I don't want to put you in a difficult position but I'd really rather he didn't know."

"It's okay, Donna. I'll keep it between us."

"Thank you, Mike. Thank you."

.

"Did you call Mike?" Harvey demanded, striding into Donna's office that evening. She looked up at him, the ferocity on his face familiar to her, but not when it was directed _at _her.

"Yes, I did. Is there a problem?"

"What the hell did you tell him? Because he's flying out here on Friday and I didn't ask him to do that, so you must have."

"He's coming to help with your case, Harvey."

"I don't need his help."

"What does it matter if he's here or in Seattle? He's been working on it from there anyway."

"No, he hasn't!" Harvey's voice was loud, angry, and she flinched at the sound, and at the confusion over what he was telling her.

"What? What do you mean?"

"He hasn't been working on my case. He's been working on his own cases because that's his fucking job. I told him I could handle this, and you've god damned undermined me by telling him otherwise."

"You what?" She sighed, looking down at her desk to compose herself before looking back up at him. "Harvey, you shouldn't have done that. You can't do this on your own."

"I can, and I'm going to. This _my _case and _my _life and I'll run it as I see fit."

"A few days ago you told me this was _our_ lives."

"Well it's not. It's mine and I'm going to deal with it on my own." His words hurt, and Donna felt the sting of them in every inch of her. More hurtful than that was his turning and leaving her office, anger radiating from him; in his posture, his long strides, his curled fists swinging.

.

She stayed in a hotel that night. Harvey had refused to leave work with her, and even through his anger, her safety was important to him and he'd forbid her from going to her apartment alone. So she'd booked a room at a hotel. He hadn't objected, but had insisted she tell him the hotel name and room number. The conversation had been civil but the disconnect between them made her heart ache.

She was just getting ready to slide between the crisp white hotel sheets when an insistent knock at the door of her hotel room stopped her. She hadn't ordered room service and only Harvey knew she was here and it certainly wasn't him. She ignored the knock, staying frozen in place when it sounded again. Her hands began to shake as she picked up her phone and padded slowly toward the rear of the room. She quietly shut herself in the bathroom and locked the door, dialling Harvey's number. Even when they were fighting, he would never ignore her call and answered after three rings, his voice soft, the regret evident even through the phone line.

"Hi."

"Someone's here," she replied shakily.

"What?" He was on high alert immediately, sitting up straight in his desk chair.

"Someone's knocking at the door. I'm not expecting anyone." She was on the verge of tears, her lip trembling and her hands shaking.

"I'm coming. _Don't _open the door." He hung up, striding into action, running down the hall to the elevators. He thumped the button with his fist, swearing under his breath as he watched the numbers tick upward toward 50 as the elevator rose toward him. It couldn't move fast enough and even once he was inside the metal box he couldn't be still, fidgeting and pacing throughout the duration of the descent.

Late evening on a Manhattan street was thankfully an easy time to hail a cab, and he barked the hotel name at the driver while he slid into the backseat. "Hurry, it's an emergency."

New York cab drivers are nothing if not impatient and it worked in Harvey's favour, having him uptown and across to 67th street in under ten minutes. He threw a twenty through the partition and flew out of the car and into the hotel. Another elevator ride that felt like an eternity and he was finally running along the hallway and pounding on the door of room 1218.

"Donna, it's me. Donna, open the door."

"Harvey?"

"Yes, it's me. Are you okay?" He listened to the rattle of the chain and the click of the lock before the door cracked open. He pushed his way into the room, scooping her into his arms. "Sweetheart," he breathed into her hair as she broke down into sobs.

"Thank you for coming," she hiccuped into his chest.

"I will always come for you," he replied. A momentary pause, and then Donna's low chuckle broke the tension of the moment and Harvey snorted with laughter as he realised the double entendre in his words. "Sorry," he said.

"Don't be," she replied, pulling back to smile at him, swiping at the tears on her face.

"That's not what I'm apologising for," he said softly, levelling a meaningful gaze on her.

"It's okay."

"It's not."

"No, it isn't, but I know you're not yourself right now. And if I can't forgive you when you're struggling, then who the hell am I?"

"I don't deserve you."

"No, you don't." She grinned and squeezed his forearms. "But you've got me." She pulled away from him, closing the still-open door and turning back to him, humour gone from her face. "Did you see anyone out there?"

"No. The hallway was empty."

"Do you think it was him?"

"My gut says it was. But I think he was just trying to scare you."

"Well he succeeded."

"Hey, it's okay." He swept her back into his embrace, holding her tightly to him, regretting every harsh word he'd said to her earlier that day. When she was pressed against him like that, he couldn't think of any reason he could ever have been mad at her.

"He knew I was here. He's still watching us." Her words cut through his thoughts.

"I know."

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Of course I will. Wild horses couldn't drag me away."

.

They spent the night in each other's arms, no sex, no words, just the love and comfort of one another's embrace. But when the morning came, it brought back the harsh reality of everything they were facing.

"You okay?" he asked her softly as she dressed for work.

"Yeah," she replied, "I'm okay."

"Are _we _okay?" He fidgeted nervously with the cuff of his shirt.

She met his gaze in the mirror, brushing foundation into her skin, "I think so. I just…"

"... want it all to be over," he finished for her. She nodded, a small smile gracing her features at how in tune they still were, even after their fight the previous day. She knew nothing would ever get between them. They could fight, they could spend time apart, but they'd always come back to each other. She'd worried when they first got together that things would change, that they wouldn't be in sync in the same way, but it was still there, sometimes even stronger than ever. "I love you," he told her then, moving to stand behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, "and I was out of line yesterday. This _is _our life, not just mine, and you are just as much a part of it with me. I'm sorry I lost sight of that."

"Thank you for admitting that," she replied. "We've come so far together and we've made it through so much, we just need to remember to communicate better next time, okay?"

Harvey placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "Absolutely."

.

Sadly, the peace between them was short lived. That same afternoon saw them fighting again, Harvey's behaviour once again the cause.

"Harvey, what do you want to eat tonight? We can swing by the store on the way home to get stuff, I think we've got chicken in the fridge so I can make that Alfredo you like?"

Harvey looked up from his desk as Donna walked in. "Uh... I don't know, you decide," he replied distractedly, looking back at his laptop.

"C'mon, even my Alfredo can't get your attention?" She teased.

"I'm just busy, okay?"

"I know." She sat down across from him, folding her left leg gracefully across her right, but the flash of bare thigh didn't even garner a flicker of Harvey's eye, a fact she couldn't ignore. "I miss you, Harvey. You're not yourself and I miss you. The _real_ you. _My _Harvey."

"I'm as me as I've ever been. I'm just focused on something other than you and it'd help if you'd let me get something done every now and then." He was still looking at his laptop, his eyes moving over the screen as he read whatever document or email was so fascinating.

"How can you say that to me? I'm in this too. But you won't let me help, you won't tell me what's going on, and you expect blind obedience as if this is the fifties and I'm a meek little housewife! I'm not a delicate flower, Harvey, I can handle the truth."

"The truth is that you're holding me back from getting this done. If I didn't have to worry about you too, I could have finished this weeks ago." He snapped shut his laptop and turned his gaze on her. "I could have got more work done last night if I hadn't needed to come rescue you." He stood up, buttoning his jacket. "And now I've got to go."

"We're not done here," Donna said fiercely, standing up, matching his height in her heels, incredulous at his words and his demeanour.

"Yes, we are." He strode out of the room, leaving her staring after him with tears welling in her eyes.

.

They didn't speak that night. She left the office without him, and when he arrived home after midnight, she pretended to be asleep. However sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. Harvey had the ability to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, however she laid awake for hours, dozing for twenty minutes here and there before giving up on sleep altogether at 5am. She slid quietly out of bed, padding out to the kitchen where she made herself coffee and sat at the counter with her laptop, poring over the proposed terms and conditions for new pay scales among the associates.

"How long have you been up?" Harvey's voice startled her.

"A little over an hour," she replied after glancing at the clock. "Are you going running?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." She looked back at her laptop, highlighting a passage of text for review by Louis.

"I'm sorry—"

"Don't," she said wearily. "I don't want to hear another apology you don't mean."

"Donna…"

"Please, Harvey. Just go on your run. I'll see you later."

.

Harvey ran harder than usual, attempting to run from his problems, from Dixon, from Donna's disappointment.

Her words had stung deeper than he'd let on, but he knew he deserved them. He was still struggling with her suggestion that he see a therapist, the inner turmoil over his last experience still burning shame in the back of his mind.

Logically he knew it would be different this time, Donna made all the difference, but he still couldn't get over the humiliation of how wrong he'd got things with Paula, the mistake he'd made in pursuing her, in starting a relationship that he knew deep down was wrong, a relationship he didn't want with her, a relationship he was using to mask the feelings he had for someone else. He knew it wouldn't be like that this time, he knew that it would be therapy and only therapy. But hot shame and guilt burned low in his stomach whenever he thought about talking to anyone. He couldn't face it again.

He'd seen a doctor in secret, getting anti-anxiety meds that Donna didn't know he was taking. They helped keep the panic attacks at bay but they didn't help his black mood. He was overcome with worry, stress, fear and rage, the only brief respite coming when he was alone with Donna, her love acting as an antidote to drive away the demons.

He was treating her unfairly, he knew. As he ran faster through lower Manhattan he hated himself for the way he'd spoken to her over the last few days. He pushed harder, punishing his body for the things his mind had done. He was dripping with sweat when he arrived back at the apartment, his shirt soaked with perspiration as he pushed through the door and into the bathroom for a shower.

Donna was gone but her perfume lingered in the air and he took a moment to breathe her in, the scent giving him a short moment of calm. But when he caught sight of his face in the mirror over the sink, another wave of anger rolled over him and he let out a roar, his curled fist lashing out and punching the reflective glass, shattering it with a satisfying crunch. The satisfaction was short lived, then a burning pain tore through his hand, his knuckles alight with a fiery sting, ruby droplets oozing through the cuts in his skin.

"Fuck," he swore aloud, turning on the faucet and holding his hand under it, watching his blood swirl in with the water spinning down the drain.

.

By the time Harvey arrived at work, his hand was burning and he was gritting his teeth in pain. He swallowed several Advil, and then dialled Louis' office line.

"Louis, will you bring your first aid kit to my office?"

"Of course, Harvey, are you okay?" Louis' voice was worried down the phone line.

"I'm fine, Louis. Just bring it." Harvey hung up, the open wounds on his hand stinging again with the movement.

Louis bumbled into Harvey's office, chattering a mile a minute about the six different types of antiseptic he had in his first aid kit.

"I just need you to bandage my hand, Louis," Harvey ground out through gritted teeth.

"Oh my god what happened?"

"It's nothing, Louis. Please, can you just bandage it?"

"I'll need to clean it first, god only knows what kind of germs you could have picked up by keeping it uncovered."

"I'm sure it's fine, it's only been two hours." Harvey's tone left no room for argument and Louis unclipped the fastenings on the plastic box, lifting its lid to reveal neat rows of bandages, tape, painkillers, antiseptic wipes as well as bottles and packets he couldn't identify. "Holy shit, it's like your own personal drugstore."

"It gets more use than you'd think." A silence fell between the two men, broken only by a sharp hiss from Harvey when Louis applied antiseptic to the open wound. "What'd you hit?" Louis asked.

"What?" Harvey looked sharply at him.

"What did you hit? I've seen this before. I've _done_ this before. For me it was a window."

Harvey said nothing for moment, surprised Louis had ever taken out his rage that way too. "A mirror," he replied eventually. Louis nodded.

More silence fell as one friend tended to the other, both thinking over how different they were compared with only a handful of years ago.

"I gave Donna Lipschitz's number the other day. Maybe you should think about talking to him," Louis said tentatively.

"No thanks, Louis," Harvey replied.

"I think maybe it could help you—"

"I said no, Louis, okay?"

"Okay." Louis fell silent, focusing his attention on the task at hand. When he'd finished bandaging Harvey's knuckles, he said nothing, just closed his first aid kit and placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder before leaving the room.

.

Donna appeared in the doorway of Harvey's office less than twenty minutes later.

"What the hell did you do?" she asked, exasperation dripping from her voice.

"Nothing," he replied, hiding his bandaged hand under the desk.

"For god's sake." She rolled her eyes, rounding the desk to yank at his arm. He hissed a little as she did so, the sharp sting burning through his hand again at the movement. She ran her fingers tenderly over the bandage, and up close he could see the worry in her eyes, the frustration and annoyance just a facade to protect her. He felt like they'd been set back years from where their relationship had progressed to and he cursed himself inwardly for being the catalyst. "What did you do?" she asked again, her voice softer.

"I punched the mirror above the sink in the bathroom," he said, casting his eyes down and away from the disapproval he expected in her gaze.

"Idiot," she scoffed, but there was affection in her tone and he glanced up hopefully. He met her gaze and saw a maelstrom of emotions in her eyes. She was worried about him, but she was also sad, and still a little angry, disappointed, but there was so much care there. So much love. He felt like he might cry at how much he was putting her through.

"I'm sorry," he apologised for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few days.

"I know." She nodded at him, her hand resting gently on the back of his neck. "Does it hurt?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Good," she said, but there was mirth in the twisting of her mouth, "you deserve it."

"Guess I better buy a new mirror."

"If you think i'm getting ready for work tomorrow morning without one then you're delirious. But I'll buy it. You'll probably pick one that's totally wrong for the space." She bent to kiss the top of his head, lingering for a little longer than usual. "Get some ice on that hand," she said as she left the room, and he watched her hips sway, his heart feeling a little lighter than it had before. He knew he didn't deserve her, but she wasn't letting him get away. She was the key to it all. With her by his side, he could achieve anything.

* * *

**I promise things get easier for them from here on out! Thanks for sticking with me (and them) through the hard stuff. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, bear with me here because our favourite lawyer gets a teeeeeensy bit more OOC here, BUT he's on his way back, I PROMISE!**

* * *

Thursday afternoon found Donna sitting on Dr Lipschitz's couch. She hadn't been able to convince Harvey to make an appointment, so she'd made one for herself instead. He wasn't the only one who wasn't coping.

"I must say, Donna, it is a joy to finally meet you. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about you."

"Thank you, Doctor. And thank you for seeing me."

"What prompted you to make this appointment, Donna?"

"It's Harvey. I… " she took a deep breath and blew it out noisily, "...he fell into some trouble and it's really taking a toll on him. I wanted him to come and see you but he refused, so I wanted to get your perspective and find out what I should be doing to help him."

"Unfortunately I can't tell you how he is feeling, which makes it difficult to help you decide what to do. But I can certainly listen and do my best to give you guidance. Why don't you start from the beginning."

.

Donna left her appointment with more questions than she'd had answered.

Dr Lipschitz hadn't focused too much on Harvey, instead he'd spent most of the session asking Donna how she was feeling and what she was going through as a result of Harvey's work against Dixon. It had brought a lot of emotions to the surface, and while she was experienced in keeping those feelings hidden, they weren't as easy to hold in once she was alone. She broke down in the back of the cab on the way back to their borrowed accommodation, and when she walked through the door of the apartment, she was surprised to see Harvey sitting on the sofa, waiting for her.

"You're home," Donna said in surprise.

"You left the office in the middle of the day," Harvey replied.

"I had an appointment."

"With Louis' therapist."

"Yes." She crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"Were you going to tell me about it?"

"Honestly?" Donna began, "no, I wasn't."

"You didn't think I needed to know?"

"You've made it clear that you're not interested in therapy and you haven't been easy to talk to lately. So no, I didn't think you needed to know."

"I haven't been easy to talk to? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" An expression flashed across his face that she couldn't quite decipher, but she expected that it wasn't a pleasant emotion.

"You've got to be kidding me. You can't possibly be _that _oblivious to your own behaviour."

"I'm focused on winning this case, that's all."

"That's not all, Harvey. You know that." She crossed the room and sat next to him on the couch. Her voice softened with her next words. "You're not yourself. This case is hard on you, and everyone understands that. But you're struggling and I want to help you."

"I'm not struggling, Donna. I'm fine."

"Harvey, listen to me." She put her hand on his leg, angling her body toward him and to his credit, he turned toward her, receptive for what felt like the first time in weeks. She studied his face, weary and drawn, and her stomach clenched with worry. "This time you're not just staring down the barrel of a gun. That gun is pressed against your temple and you're working under that pressure. You're at breaking point. It's not right, and it's not fair. You need to let Mike take over the case."

Harvey was silent for a long moment and she felt like she was holding her breath, waiting for his outburst. What he said next surprised her.

"I'm tired, Donna. I'm exhausted. It's too much." His shoulders slumped in defeat and his head dropped.

Donna was stunned when he began to cry. She'd seen him fight back tears, she'd seen him with watery eyes, but this was something else entirely. He was sobbing, shoulders shaking, tears falling freely. Her own tears welled in her eyes as she reached for him, a hand sliding over his back. He leaned into her embrace, his head coming to rest on her shoulder. She cradled his skull like one would a small child, rubbing soothing circles on his back. Neither spoke for a long time as he let his emotions out. It was one of those rare moments when Donna was speechless and neither of them were comfortable with it. Eventually Harvey pulled away and looked at her.

"Say something," he croaked, his throat hoarse from tears.

"I don't know what to say, Harvey. You're hurting, and I can't fix it." A tear ran down her cheek and he reached out to wipe it away.

"You don't need to fix it," he replied softly, "you're here, that's all I need." He kissed her cheek softly.

"I can't help if you don't talk to me," Donna said gently. "You've been hiding behind work, and you haven't dealt with what happened to you. You're bottling it up."

"I can't. I can't face it."

"You're scared, and you're hurting. And you're lashing out at people who care about you. You need to talk to someone and it doesn't have to be me, but I'd really like it if you let me in."

Harvey sat back against the couch with a sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. "I don't know where to start."

"Why don't I pour us a couple of drinks, order in some food and we can just relax. If you want to talk, we can talk, and if not, we can just take the night off, watch a movie and get a good night's sleep." She stood up, smoothing her dress. "But please just think about it, okay?"

"I will." He watched her walk into the bedroom and felt like a voyeur as he watched her undress, slipping into yoga pants and a sweatshirt. She was the sexiest woman he'd ever known, even in an old, oversized hoodie, and he felt a fist grip his heart as he realised what an ass he'd been over the last few weeks. "I'm sorry," he said, and she turned toward him, pulling her hair out from inside the neck of the sweatshirt, letting it cascade in copper waves over her shoulders.

"What did you say?" She walked back toward him, stopping in the doorway with her dress in her hands.

"I'm sorry." He stood up from the couch, walking toward her and folding her into his arms. "I've been unfair to you. And if you wanted to leave, I wouldn't blame you."

"Harvey, when will you learn? I'm not going _anywhere_. I will always be with you," she said into his ear as she dropped the dress carelessly on the floor in order to return his hug properly.

"I don't deserve you," he said into her hair.

"You've said that before," she replied with a chuckle, "but that doesn't make it true. Now, go get comfortable and decide what you want me to order for dinner."

.

Mike arrived at the firm at 9am on Friday morning after a red eye flight from Seattle. He walked straight into Harvey's office and was surprised to find it empty. He was more surprised still at Donna's empty office. His next stop was Gretchen, who he was hoping would know everything that was going on.

"They haven't come in today," she told him impatiently as she ran copies for Louis.

"What do you mean they haven't come in?"

"I mean, I face reception from my desk and I see everyone arrive in this office. They didn't come in this morning. So if you're looking for them, go find them at home."

Mike went looking for Samantha, hoping she'd have heard from either of them.

"I haven't, but Harvey has been working day and night on this thing, so maybe he's in a meeting or following up on something he's found," she said with a shrug, seemingly unconcerned.

"I got a call from Donna a few days ago. She said he's struggling and she asked me to come out," Mike explained. Samantha looked up sharply, her brow furrowed.

"I've noticed he hasn't been himself, if I'm honest. But I've been so busy on the Spotify case that I haven't really checked in with him."

"I put something in place a few weeks ago, when Harvey was first attacked; something I agreed with Jessica. But Harvey doesn't know about it."

"And?"

"I think it's time to pull the trigger on it."

"Why don't you sound sure?"

"Because if it goes wrong, Harvey is in more danger. Donna too."

"Then you need to give me all the gory details, and you need to do it right the hell now."

.

Mike had given Samantha the details of the trap he had set for Dixon, including the risks to Harvey and therefore Donna.

"And he doesn't know any of this?"

"Nothing. It won't work if he does. Not to mention that he'd shut it down. He was crystal clear about anything that put Donna in the crosshairs."

"Then we move on this without breathing a word to anyone," Samantha said firmly.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Mike grinned.

.

Harvey woke up at 7:40am after a restless sleep and more nightmares. He knew Donna was right and that he needed help to move past what had happened.

"Morning, handsome," Donna's voice drifted from the bathroom. She was in her bathrobe, applying makeup for the day. He watched her for a moment, still amazed that she was his and he was hers.

"Let's not go to work today."

"What?" She stood in the doorway, sure she'd heard him incorrectly.

"Let's stay in bed today." The spontaneity of his words surprised him as much as they did her. She came out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for his hand

"Harvey, where is this coming from?"

"You were right last night. I need to relax. And I relax most when you're with me." A winning smile took over his face. "So let's take the day off, stay in bed and just relax."

"I would love that, Harvey." She returned his grin, squeezing his fingers. "I'll make coffee."

.

Donna was curled into Harvey's side, still in her bathrobe, empty coffee cups on the nightstand, classical music playing softly through the Sonos system in the apartment.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"I'm okay. I'm trying not to think about it."

"I'm proud of you."

"There's no reason to be," he was humble, his words softly spoken, still not himself.

"There is _every _reason to be. You've admitted the problem, that's the most important step. And I know you've got a lot to deal with, a lot to work through, but you've made a start. And I'm proud of you for that." She pressed her lips to his shoulder. "And I know I said it last night, but if you want to talk about anything, I'm here."

"I know. I just… I can't talk about it. Not yet, anyway."

"It's okay, Harvey. I love you and I'm here for you. We'll fix this, I promise."

"I don't know where to start."

"I'll help you."

"I don't know if you can." His words were quiet, afraid. "I don't know if anyone can."

"No one is beyond help, Harvey. You've been through a hell of a lot, but you'll be okay." She brushed her hand across his chest, letting her palm rest over his heart, feeling it thumping beneath warm skin and hard, sinewy muscle.

"Will you…I mean, can we..." his words were hesitant but she knew what he was asking.

"Always," she replied, tilting her face up to kiss him deeply, her tongue sliding inside the warm wetness of his mouth, stroking across his own with a gentle passion. They kissed for a few minutes without moving any further, their kisses becoming hungrier and deeper when Harvey finally moved his hand from Donna's face to her breast, sliding inside her robe to palm the soft, pliable flesh. Her nipple hardened further under his touch; already taut, it tightened and extended further thanks to his gentle ministrations. She hummed in satisfaction when Harvey nipped at her bottom lip, tugging it between his teeth.

Their enjoyment was short lived as a thumping knock sounded through the apartment. Donna stiffened and her wide eyes met Harvey's.

"We didn't buzz anyone in, how can someone be knocking?" She was edgy, a fear in her eyes he hadn't seen before and he pulled her close as another knock sounded.

"Hey, it's okay. It's probably just a neighbour."

Donna forced herself to relax, closing her eyes briefly to send a calming wave through her tense muscles. "You're right," she said to Harvey, "of course. I'm just overreacting."

"It's okay. After what happened at the hotel, it's not surprising that you're jumpy." He kissed the top of her head. "I'll go see who it is."

Donna listened from the bedroom as the door opened and when she heard Mike's voice she let out a deep sigh of relief. _Stop being so stupid_ she chastised herself. She was relieved he was finally here and could get to work on the case. It was having too much of an effect on both her and Harvey and she wasn't sure how much longer she could take it.

She swung her legs off the bed, padding barefoot out to the living room to greet Mike. When he saw her he glanced between her and Harvey, assessing the situation; she in her bathrobe and he in sweatpants with no shirt. Mike's eyebrows raised.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Just our day off," Harvey replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Day off? You don't take those."

"Things change." Harvey shrugged. "And I've got more important things to focus on." He reached for Donna and she took his outstretched hand, squeezing his fingers. Mike looked suspicious for a moment but didn't get a chance to say anything when Harvey continued, "and because of that, I want you to take the lead on my case. I need to take a step back."

"So you can take more days off?" Mike quipped, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"_No_," Harvey said with a roll of his eyes. "I just need to step back."

"Are you sure?" Mikes gaze flicked to Donna and she nodded, gripping Harvey's arm with the hand that wasn't entwined with his.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's what I need." His voice softened a little and his jaw clenched, uncomfortable with admitting weakness, even in front of Mike, one of the few people who knew him almost as well as Donna did.

"If that's what you want, then I'm on board. Now, are you going to get back to your "day off"," he asked, using air quotes, "or do you want to brief me on where the case is at?"

* * *

**I swear, this is going somewhere. Hope to have the next chapter finished and posted shortly! Let me know your thoughts. **

**Em x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the wait! Been trying to juggle too many fics... oops! But here is chapter 7 for you! **

* * *

Mike answered his phone at 3.22am to a call from Harvey.

"It's 3am, Harvey, what do you want?"

"Dixon is on the street. He's watching the apartment."

"He's _what?_"

"He's on the street. I was going to bed and the curtains were still open and I saw him down there. It was dark in the apartment so I don't think he saw me, so he doesn't know I saw him. But he's there. He's watching." Harvey is rambling and Mike bites his lip, concerned for his friend and the effect this situation has been having on him.

"Harvey, you sound crazy."

"I'm not fucking crazy, Mike. He's here."

"Just go to bed, Harvey. He can't do anything from outside the apartment." And he hung up. Harvey swore under his breath and tossed his phone onto the bed, pacing back and forth in front of the window.

"Harvey, come to bed," Donna pleaded for the fourth time. "He can't do anything from out there."

"He's watching us."

"We've known that for a while."

"Coming here was supposed to keep us safe! And now he's found us here."

"We're safe inside. He can sit out there all night if he wants, he can't do anything to us. He can't get into the building, and he can't get into the apartment."

"He's watching us, Donna! Doesn't that bother you?"

Donna climbed out of bed, crossing to the window and rubbing a hand over Harvey's back. "Come to bed, get some sleep. This isn't helping you." As they watched the street, the headlights on Dixon's car flashed twice.

"He can see us! He knows we're looking at him!"

"Harvey…"

"I'm going to go out there." He whirled around before she could stop him.

"No, Harvey, don't!" She followed and watched helplessly as he pulled the door open and walked out. She threw a coat over her pyjamas and ran after him swiftly. "Harvey, please don't do this."

"Stay inside," he called over his shoulder, "it's not safe."

"I know it's not, Harvey, _please_ don't go out there." Her heart was hammering in her chest as she tried to catch up to him. She wished she'd put shoes on as she tightened the coat around her, the cold air in the hall already seeping in.

Harvey flung open the wide front doors of the building and stepped out into the street. "What do you want, you coward?" He shouted to the car parked across the street, in which Leo Dixon was sitting with two other men. The window rolled down and a harsh voice drifted out.

"Who are you calling a coward? You've been hiding from me, Harvey. I told you not to do anything stupid but you've been hiding from me while you try to find proof to put me away."

"And I'll find it," Harvey replied angrily. "I'll find it and I _will _put you away."

Donna stood in the doorway, watching the two men exchange barbs across the street, silently pleading with Harvey. Her stomach dropped as he stepped off the curb toward the car.

"I'm not letting you get away with it this time, Dixon. You're scum and you belong with the rest of the scum of the earth, in prison."

"And how you gonna do that, Specter? You haven't got shit on me. Because I'll never let you have shit on me."

"You're a coward, Dixon. Sitting in there, hiding away, watching my apartment. You won't make a move. You're too cowardly to get your hands dirty."

"Don't bait him, Harvey," Donna whispered under her breath. She was scared for him, more scared than she'd ever been.

"I'm not too cowardly to make a move on your girl," Dixon taunted, stepping out of the car. For the first time, Donna got a glimpse of the man she'd been so afraid of. And if she wasn't still so terrified, she'd almost have laughed. He was exactly like a cartoon villain or a B-movie mobster. Square jaw, sharply dressed in a three piece suit, dark hair slicked back from his face, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. "Hello sweetheart," he sneered, and a shiver ran down her spine. There was something inherently _creepy _about his voice - sleazy and greasy, dripping with something that made her insides coil in fear and disgust.

"You leave her alone," Harvey growled. "Donna, go back inside."

"Why don't you invite me in, Donna?" Dixon directed at her. His voice turned her stomach as he made a lewd gesture toward her. "I bet you like it rough. I can promise you I won't take it easy like this one does." He gestured toward Harvey with his cigarette, ash falling onto the street.

"Don't you speak to her." Harvey's voice shook ever so slightly and Dixon picked up on it.

"I knew it, she's your weakness. All I have to do to get to you, is to get to her." He took another step toward Donna. "She wants me. I can smell her from here."

"Fuck you," Harvey snarled.

"No, I'm going to fuck _her_," Dixon sneered. He stepped closer again and it was a split second before Harvey drew his arm back, his fist curled tight.

"Harvey, no!" Donna lunged toward him, grabbing his arm and pulling. The distraction was enough time for Dixon to land a hard jab in Harvey's ribs, the same ribs that had been broken last time. The sound that escaped Harvey was a whimper and a groan in one and Donna fell to the ground with him as he crumpled. "Harvey—" she was wrenched away from him by Dixon, who had a hand around her upper arm tightly. He kicked at Harvey, his foot colliding with a sickening crunch and Donna let out a cry as he kicked a second time.

"Stop! That's enough!" Samantha was there suddenly and Donna had no inkling of why, but police officers were running down the street and she could hear sirens in the distance. Her mind was jumbled with fear and panic and she struggled against the hold Dixon still had on her.

"Let her go," a deep voice came from her left, where an NYPD officer was approaching, cuffs in his hand. Dixon held tighter and she whimpered at the pain in her arm but she was suddenly let free and she heard the telltale click of the handcuffs. She dropped to her knees next to Harvey, who was curled in a ball on the hard concrete.

"Harvey," she whispered, unable to utter anything else, her mind still whirling, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"I'm okay," he said, but his voice was low and shaky and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"There's an ambulance coming," Samantha informed them, crouching next to Donna. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. What's happening? Why are you here?"

"I'll explain it all later. Right now we need to get you two checked out by a doctor."

.

Four hours later Harvey had been given the all clear; no major damage, just the cracking of an already weak spot on his ribs and some nasty bruising to the thigh where Dixon's kicks had landed. Samantha had accompanied them to the hospital and Mike had shown up within minutes.

"What the hell is going on?" Donna asked when they were finally allowed to leave. "You two know something we don't."

"Let's just get you both home and we'll explain everything later. Harvey's in no condition." Mike was right, Harvey was drowsy with pain medication, his eyelids drooping. Donna said nothing, and stayed silent in the cab back to the apartment. Mike helped her get the semi-conscious Harvey into bed and then turned to leave.

"I'll call when he's more awake, Mike," Donna said in a mildly threatening tone, "and you'll tell us exactly what went on last night." Mike nodded and left without another word.

"What's happening?" Harvey asked sleepily.

"It's nothing, Harvey. Let's just get some sleep, ok?"

.

"Donna knows something is up," Mike said when he called Samantha after leaving Harvey and Donna.

"Of course she does, she's Donna."

"It wasn't supposed to go that far, Samantha, why didn't you step in earlier?"

"It escalated too fast, Mike, there wasn't anything I could do. If I hadn't let it go so far, we'd have nothing to charge him with. Thankfully Harvey didn't manage to throw a punch or we'd have a much bigger fight in court."

"Has he been charged?"

"Harvey needs to do it formally. Soon as he can. But they won't let him out until they've got Harvey's statement."

"Donna said she'd call after he's slept and I'll go over and tell them everything."

"Good. If you need me, call."

"I will. Thank you, Samantha, for helping me on this."

"They're my family too," she replied with a shrug, a small smile playing on her lips.

.

Donna was still asleep when Harvey woke, and he watched her for a moment, his eyes falling on the deepening bruise on her upper arm. He winced as he tried to roll toward her and pressed his injured leg into the mattress.

"What's wrong?" Donna asked, waking to his sharp intake of breath.

"Nothing, I just moved the wrong way on my leg. Are you okay?" He stroked her arm lightly and she followed his gaze.

"I'm fine. It looks worse than it feels. How are your ribs?"

"Fine. I feel bone tired though."

"I know."

"What the hell happened last night? What was Samantha doing there?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it was a set up… I think they were trying to trap Dixon. And they did it."

"Who's _they_?"

"Mike and Samantha. I think they were in on it together."

Harvey though for a moment and then recognition dawned on his face. "I told him not to," he said angrily.

"Told him not to what?"

"Mike had this _stupid _idea about setting a trap for Dixon. I told him categorically that he wasn't to do anything and he fucking did it anyway."

"Hey, it's okay." She reached out and took his right hand in her left, winding their fingers together, the warmth of her palm against his sending a soothing wave of calm through his body.

"I told him not to," he said again, but the bite was gone from his tone.

"He did it for you, for _us_," she said gently. "It was a risk, but it paid off. Dixon's been arrested. We can finally take this thing to court and get it off it the ground."

"You could have been seriously hurt. He could have killed you."

"But he didn't. I'm fine." She squeezed his hand, fingers flexing against his. "You can move forward now. _We _can move forward."

Harvey was silent for a long moment and she watched him, his eyes taking on a faraway expression as he thought about everything that had happened, everything that was still to happen.

"Yes," he said finally.

"Yes?"

"Yes. Yes, you're right. We can move forward. We can get our lives back. Our _life_." He lifted her hand to his mouth, pressing his lips gently against her knuckles. "I'm going to put a ring on this finger some day," he said softly, caressing her fourth finger. His tone was reverent, almost dreamlike but the words slammed into her heart like a freight train, stealing her breath, rendering her speechless. "And all of this will be behind us and it'll be a true beginning."

"Harvey," she breathed, unable to muster anything else, tears swimming in her eyes, blurring her vision.

"You're everything," he continued, "and it took me too long to realise it, but I'm never going to forget it."

"I love you so much." She fell into him, her mouth closing over his, her tongue swiping at his lips, her hand curving around to cup his jaw. He returned her kiss with fervour, untangling their fingers to obtain a proper hold on her body.

They kissed for a long time; nothing else, just their breath mingling in the small space between their bodies, the love enveloping them like a cocoon. It was Donna who made the first move, her hand sliding to grip his ass, squeezing and pulling him closer to her, the feeling of his groin against hers sending fire licking through her veins as if it was their first time all over again.

As his kisses moved down her jaw to her neck, his hand found its way under her camisole, settling on her breast, her nipple hard with arousal. She muffled a groan as he massaged her flesh, pinching and rolling the nipple between his large fingers, sending white hot jolts of electricity between her legs. She rolled further to her back, letting him settle fully on top of her, propped up on one hand as the other continued the teasing caresses of her upper body. She tilted her hips toward him, grinding and writhing against his erection, the feel of his hard length at her entrance too much and not enough all at once.

"No foreplay," she groaned, "I want you _now._"

"No," he replied, "we've got all the time in the world. Let's take it slow."

"Harvey…" she whined against his lips, capturing them again, muffling a moan as he slid a finger inside her, her silk shorts bunched at the junction of her thigh to make way for his large hand. The only thing more magical than his fingers was his deliciously thick manhood, but right now, with a second finger inside of her and his thumb pressed against her clit, she couldn't remember why she'd wanted to skip foreplay at all.

For all his talk of taking it slow, he brought her to the edge remarkably quickly, the crescendo washing over her as he drew out her orgasm. He didn't let up, continuing his movements until a second climax shook her body.

"Oh, god," she breathed, her breath shallow as she recovered from her back-to-back orgasms.

"You're welcome," Harvey grinned cheekily, kissing her tenderly. He helped her out of her shorts and then discarded his own clothes while she removed her camisole, the pair of them finally naked, skin to skin.

"Are you done taking it slow?" She asked, reaching between them to palm his length.

"Definitely," he replied, positioning himself at her entrance and sliding in to the hilt. He groaned at the sensation, her fingers digging into his biceps as she welcomed him into her body.

She always felt so full when he was inside her, not just physically but emotionally as well. The feeling of him stretching her, his warm body pressed against every inch of hers, his breath washing over her face as he thrust into her. It was a euphoric feeling, knowing that he loved her, desired her, wanted her and only her. It cracked her heart open and made her want to weep and laugh and scream with joy.

"I love you," she said hoarsely, staring into his dark eyes. He leaned in to kiss her again, the meeting of their lips soft and loving as he began to move inside of her.

Their lovemaking was intense; slow at first and then faster, harder, their connection both mental and physical as they worked each other to the end, her orgasm hitting a minute before his, until he spilled into her with a few final hard thrusts.

"I love you too," he mumbled as he collapsed on top of her.

"Ow!" she yelped as his weight landed on her bruised arm.

"I'm sorry!" he gasped as he shifted aside, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, a little breathlessly, "it's okay."

"I'm so sorry," he said again, his hand hovering over the dark purple bruises.

"It's okay, Harvey." She pressed her lips to his neck. "I'm fine. We're both fine."

"We are," he murmured in assent, holding her to him, his whole world in his arms as he drifted off to sleep again.

.

Mike knocked on the door just after 2pm and Donna ushered him in. Harvey was sitting on the couch in chinos and a navy sweater, but he looked tired and drawn and Mike felt a pang of guilt at the pain he'd caused his friend.

"What did you do?" Harvey asked. Miked swallowed a lump in his throat and took a seat.

"It was a calculated risk, but it paid off."

"And what if it hadn't?"

"It did, Harvey. Haven't you always told me that it's the outcome that matters, not the steps you take to get there?"

"I'm not putting people's lives at risk, Mike."

"I know. And it went further than it was supposed to, I take responsibility for that. But Dixon knows me, so I couldn't be anywhere nearby in case he saw me."

"How'd you get him here?" Harvey could feel his anxiety levels rising, self-aware enough to know that was what was happening.

"We leaked some information to people we knew were in his network. You can thank Sean Cahill for that. We knew the information would get to him sooner rather than later, so Samantha was on standby in an Air BnB across the street. As soon as you called me, I called her."

"What if I hadn't called you?"

"I know you, Harvey. You were always going to call about this."

"Goddamn it, Mike." Harvey stood up and paced across the room, frustrated and tightly wound.

"Hey, it's okay." Donna rested a soothing palm on his back, rubbing small circles. She stood close to his side, whispering something Mike couldn't hear and he smiled as he watched them together. The intimacy in their stance and their closeness was so natural and he couldn't recall what things had been like before they were _this_. Harvey nodded in response to Donna's whispered words and turned back to Mike.

"So you set this whole thing up, police on standby, everything?"

"Yes." Mike kept his face neutral, but he was proud of the plan he'd executed and he wasn't going to hide it. It was a tense moment as Harvey surveyed him and he began to feel nervous under his mentor's scrutiny.

And then Harvey smiled. "Thank you, Mike," he said sincerely. Donna looked as surprised as Mike felt, glancing between the two men.

"Anytime, old man," Mike replied, getting up off the couch to Harvey's protest about ageism. They met in the middle of the room with a handshake while Donna watched on with a smile on her face. Progress was finally being made.

.

"Are you okay?" Donna asked Harvey when Mike had left.

I think so. We got the result we wanted. All I have to do is give a statement and he'll be held without bail."

"Harvey, are you sure you're okay to do that?"

"I have to. I'll be fine." He dismissed her concerns with a cliche wave of his hand.

"Harvey…" she pressed, shifting by his side to look at him properly, assessing his expression, scrutinising him.

"I'm okay," he said, softer then, reassuring himself as much as her. "I'll be okay."

She reached for him, pulling him toward her and letting his head come to rest on her shoulder, his face pressed into the crook of her neck. He slid his arm around her, giving in to her embrace and letting himself relax, finally, fully.

.

Harvey and Donna took a few days off work to move back into Harvey's apartment and relax after everything they'd been through. It had only been a few weeks since Harvey had first been taken to hospital, but it felt like months had passed with so much happening. Their long weekend at Bear Mountain felt like a lifetime ago.

The morning before they returned to work, Donna approached a subject they'd been dancing around for a while.

"Harvey, I've been looking into therapists for you," she began tentatively and Harvey's head snapped toward her, his expression fierce at first and then softening when he saw how nervous she was about broaching this particular subject.

"You found one?"

"I have, yes. And I can make an appointment for you if you want me to." She handed her ipad to him, the therapist's web page loaded on screen. "He comes highly recommended, and specialises in the kind of trauma you've been through."

"What kind of trauma?" Harvey asked, already reading through the testimonials.

"Assault, mainly. But he also has a lot of experience with abandonment issues."

"I don't have those anymore."

"I think you do," she said gently, resting her hand on his forearm. He looked up at her, studying her face and then nodded, accepting her assessment. "Have a read through, let me know what you think. I won't force you into this, and if you don't want to go, I accept that. I will support you no matter what. But I think it could be beneficial for you." She stood from the couch, leaving him to read on his own while she went to take a shower.

He knew she was right, he did need help to move past what had happened to him. But his previous experience with therapy was a trauma in itself and he didn't know how to put that aside in order to trust someone new again. It did help that this therapist was a man, slightly mediterranean looking, with what Harvey interpreted as kind eyes. The gallery on the website showed a comfortable yet neutral space, and the building wasn't far from the firm. All the testimonials were excellent, although Harvey was always sceptical of those types of things, never knowing if they were real or not. But there was really no reason not to at least try it. He owed it to Donna to make the effort.

By the time Donna returned to the living room, wet hair and smelling of coconut shampoo, he'd already made an appointment. Thankfully, being a lawyer came with a certain amount of flexibility and he'd been able to book in for the following day.

"I've made an appointment," he said and the smile she gave him made every second of decision-making worth it.

"Good," she said softly, rubbing his neck with her right hand. "I'm proud of you."

"You don't need to be," he said bashfully.

"But I am. You've taken the first step. It'll help you get through the case and the trial at the very least. And If you go to the appointment and you hate him, then you don't have to see him again."

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, Harvey. I just want you to be okay."

"I will be. Thanks to you."

.

The following day found Harvey taking a seat across from his new therapist, Andre. The man was tall and slim, with a salt and pepper beard, and had ushered Harvey into his home office with a friendly smile. The blue couch was comfortable, and Andre was sitting opposite him on an identical couch, a coffee table between them. The therapist had no notebook, no recording device, nothing on which to make any notes. It was a new experience of therapy.

"What brings you here today, Harvey? What was it that prompted you to make an appointment with me?"

"I was… assaulted. A month ago. It brought out a really ugly side of me. And a lot has happened since then and I've realised I need help."

"I see. And did you come to that on your own or are there people in your life who helped you with that?"

"I have a… I have Donna. She's my…" he trailed off, the word _girlfriend _just not seeming enough to explain who Donna was to him.

"I understand," Andre said, "anyone else?"

"It was mostly her. But I have friends." He realised how defensive he sounded and hated himself for it. The therapist said nothing, waiting for Harvey to continue. "Louis, he uh… he said I should…" he took a deep breath and let it out, "does it matter who said what and why?"

"Not if you don't think it does."

"What do you want me to talk about then?"

"What would _you _like to talk about?" Andre asked calmly. Harvey was perplexed by this man. Wasn't he supposed to be leading the session? Asking questions? Prompting revelations? The therapist seemed to know what Harvey was thinking. "You're here because you believe you need help. So why don't you tell me about the assault you experienced and why it brought you here."

Harvey took the lifeline being offered and launched into the explanation of what had happened with Dixon and everything surrounding it. He talked for a long time and when he was finished he felt exhausted.

"I appreciate your honesty, Harvey, and I thank you for sharing this with me. I know it can't have been easy, Andre began, "but if I may make an observation?" At Harvey's nod, he continued, "you are hoping to be magically cured by talking to me. That is not going to happen. You have been through an ordeal, and on top of that you have issues in your life that you haven't dealt with."

"I've been to therapy before," Harvey fired back.

"And may I ask how long for?"

"Five months," Harvey answered begrudgingly.

"With the greatest respect, that is not enough. There is more to you than what you've been through and what has happened to you has triggered more than you think."

"So where do we start?"

"We've already started. You've told me why you're here and I have more of a picture of what you're facing. Tomorrow, we'll talk more about what you've been going through since the… incident, and that will give us a jumping off point to begin your treatment."

.

When Harvey arrived home, Donna wasn't there, but he found Mike sitting at the kitchen counter.

"What are you doing here, Mike?" He asked wearily.

"We've hit a snag with the case. Donna's gone to her place for the night to give us time to work."

Harvey swore under his breath. Not only was there a problem, but now he wouldn't see Donna until the morning. All he wanted was to come home from therapy and debrief with her over a drink or two before _debriefing _with her in other ways. He pulled his phone from his pocket to see a missed call and a text from her; _hope it went okay today. Sorry I'm not there to talk through it all with you but Mike had important stuff about the case so I got myself out of the way. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you. _

He sighed heavily, pouring a drink for himself and Mike and taking a seat at the dining table he rarely used.

"Show me what you've got," he said in resignation.

.

The following morning Donna left her apartment to find Harvey leaning on his car on the street.

"I'm getting deja vu," she said, unable to help the smile that split her face.

"But last time, I couldn't do this," Harvey replied, pushing off the car and taking hold of her waist as he brought his lips to hers.

"You probably could have," she chuckled.

"Would you have let me?"

"Maybe," she smiled sadly, knowing that she probably wouldn't have.

"It doesn't matter," he says, sending the melancholy turn in her mood, "we're here now and that's all that matters." He kissed her again, deeply, his tongue caressing hers.

"Good morning to me," she said breathlessly when they parted. She couldn't imagine there would ever come a time that she wasn't affected by him. Even a good morning kiss had her insides fluttering and her heart racing.

"I missed you last night," he said softly, his voice low and gravelly.

"I know. Me too," she replied apologetically. She knew she could have stayed at the apartment while he and Mike worked, but she didn't want to be a distraction; the work they were doing was important and she needed the distance to keep from questioning Harvey about his appointment with Andre the therapist.

"You want to hear about yesterday." It wasn't a question.

She cocked her head, studying him. "I do," she replied, "but that can wait. Tell me where you got to with Mike."

"Let's go get some breakfast." Harvey gestured down the street, toward their diner and she nodded, taking off with him by her side.

* * *

**Next one is in progress... let me know what you think of this! **


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back! I know it's been SO long since I last updated and I'm so sorry! I need to mention trigger warnings here - abduction and the threat of sexual assault. Harvey also gets a little OOC towards the end, but it's fully intentional for reasons that should be clear once you've read the chapter.**

* * *

Donna had left the firm late. Harvey had gone to an appointment with Andre at 5pm and would be meeting her at home, but she'd got caught up and before she knew it, the clock was showing 8pm and Harvey was texting her incessantly.

_Leaving now. Be home in 20._

She'd texted him as the elevator descended and when she exited the building, it was raining. Of course it was. No cabs in sight and an Uber would be at least fifteen minutes. She cursed the weather, dialling Ray to see if he was in the area. As she held her phone to her ear, she saw movement from the corner of her eye, turning to see her worst nightmare approaching her from behind.

Leo Dixon was there. Two men were flanking him and she dropped her phone in shock, fear coursing through her veins as he spoke to her.

"You're here. Finally." His voice was as chilling as it had been that night on the street and a shiver went through her, in part due to the cold weather and the rain soaking her clothes, but mainly due to the sheer terror of seeing a nightmare coming true. She was alone, no protection, and a known criminal and murderer was standing four feet away from her.

"What do you want?" she asked, attempting to sound braver than she felt.

"I'm here for you," he responded, a wide smile on his face.

"I don't think that is one of the conditions of your parole," she responded, sass coming naturally to her even in a moment of fear.

"We're just talking, dear Donna. Maybe we'll go for a little ride in my car. I'll get you home, safe and warm… as soon as I'm done." His teeth showed when he grinned and another shiver went through her. She cursed herself for leaving the office alone. She'd gotten cocky, comfortable. They both had after Dixon had been arrested. Neither of them had anticipated that he'd have the audacity to come for them again.

When he stepped toward her, she took a step back, scared of him, feeling like a child faced with a monster in their dreams. He laughed, stepping toward her again, his hand finding her arm and gripping her wrist hard. Her mind flashed back to that night, when he'd held her arm before, the fear she'd felt for what Harvey would do. This time, she knew he was safe and she was relieved that he'd be okay, he wasn't anywhere near this. If Dixon kidnapped her, Harvey wouldn't know for a while. He wasn't expecting her for twenty minutes, Dixon could get her out of the city in that time. There'd be less traffic, they could be well into the Bronx or further by the time Harvey realised she should've been home.

She felt tears pricking at her eyes. Why had she been so stupid? Why couldn't she have finished work on time? Why couldn't she have gone home earlier?

"Come on now," Dixon said then, "let's go for a drive."

She got into Dixon's car and he sat next to her, his hand gripping her thigh. She felt a shudder crawling up her spine, not quite taking hold, but it was there. She felt sick at the prospect of what could be about to happen. She knew she had no way out. Her phone was lying on the sidewalk in front of the firm where she'd dropped it. She had nothing of use in her purse. There was nowhere to go.

.

Harvey was pacing. Donna should have been home ten minutes ago. He didn't want to panic unnecessarily, but he had a bad feeling. He'd tried to call her and her phone had rung out, no answer. Maybe it was on silent. But it was only adding to his bad feeling.

He was trying to do the breathing exercises that Andre had recommended but they were getting him nowhere. That's when he had a brainwave. He called Ray, hoping maybe he was driving Donna.

"Hey boss," Ray answered.

"Ray, is Donna with you?"

"No, sorry, she's not. She called earlier but hung up just before I answered, I figured she must have found a cab."

"Okay, thanks." He hung up and resumed his pacing. Something was definitely wrong. Even if she'd found a cab, she would have told Ray that much, she wouldn't have just hung up.

Then his phone rang. Louis.

"Louis, I'm busy right now, can I—"

"No, Harvey listen to me. I just found Donna's phone on the sidewalk in front of the office. The screen is smashed like it was dropped. Is she with you?"

Harvey's heart sank. Something was definitely wrong.

"No, she's not with me. She was supposed to be home ten minutes ago."

"Harvey, I—"

"I know, Louis. Stay there. I'm on my way."

.

She'd never been so afraid before. They'd been driving south for almost thirty minutes and Dixon had kept his hand on her thigh the entire time. He hadn't said much, but every now and then he'd squeezed her leg, setting her skin crawling all over again. As they crossed the bridge into Brooklyn she began to quietly panic. Being outside of Manhattan would make her harder to find. Harvey would know she was missing by now, he'd have called the police, but by the time they had any leads on where she was being taken, she could be anywhere.

She knew enough to know that Dixon wasn't allowed to leave the country, not while he was out on bail, so he couldn't be taking her to the airport. But that didn't mean they weren't planning on crossing state lines, taking her out of the state, meaning the NYPD would have no jurisdiction. She'd seen enough true crime documentaries to suspect how this might end.

.

"We need to call the police."

"Done," Louis replied, "I called them after I called you."

"He's got her, Louis."

"Let's not jump to—"

"He's got her. It's the only explanation." Harvey began to pace, running a hand through his hair. "If he takes her across state lines the NYPD won't have jurisdiction."

"Harvey, calm down. We don't know anything yet. She might be fine."

"She's not, Louis! He told me what he'd do to her if he got the chance. We need to find her before he goes too far." He turned to carry on his pacing and saw the police approaching. "Good, you're here. You need to pull traffic camera footage, security footage from the lobby of the building and you need to find out where the hell they've taken her."

"Please, sir, calm down and let's start from the beginning."

.

They were in a warehouse, somewhere in Brooklyn, she thought. They'd driven up outside and she'd been pulled out of the car and led inside. It was cold, damp and draughty and she could hear the rain pattering on the roof. She felt almost as if she were watching the entire scene in a movie, as though it wasn't her life. She was standing in the middle of the open space, having been stripped of her dress, only her black bra and panties covering her. She was trying desperately not to shiver in the cold, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth and protection. She didn't feel brave, she didn't feel confident, and she was all out of sarcastic remarks and sassy quips.

She didn't know what Dixon was planning, but as a woman, she had enough fear about how men like this operated. This was a man who had no respect for women, and apparently no fear of the law. She suspected she'd been standing there, half naked, for almost an hour by the time Dixon finished his whispered conversations with everyone but her.

"You can all go," Dixon said finally, waving his hand dismissively at the men in the room. They left without a word, used to taking orders from their boss, and Donna was left alone with the man from her nightmares. "It's just us now," he said with a sneer. "Let me see you."

Donna didn't move, frozen in fear and humiliation. She didn't look up, afraid to meet his eyes, and he stepped toward her, yanking her arms to her sides so he had an unobstructed view of her body. Tears welled in her eyes as a shiver ran through her and Dixon whistled slowly, circling her to see her from every angle. As he took her chin in his hand and forced her face up to meet his, she closed her eyes, unable to look at him and unwilling to let him see just how scared she really was.

"You're too good for Harvey Specter. You're too hot for him. A man like him couldn't possibly satisfy you."

He was toying with her, she knew, but she refused to bite.

"I bet you like it, rough, don't you. A little spanking, some light bondage, maybe being choked?"

Another shiver ran through her at his words, the thinly-veiled threat chilling her to the bone, far more than the cold air ever could.

"No, Harvey Specter definitely couldn't satisfy those kinds of fantasies. He's a pretty-boy, softer than cookie dough. The way he leaps to your defense at the first opportunity… well he's not here now. It's just the two of us." He paused and she tensed, bracing herself for his next move, but when nothing happened, she braved opening her eyes. He was fussing about with a tripod and her heart sank. He was going to film this. The sick bastard! Bile rose in her throat and she felt a fresh wave of fear ripple through her.

He grinned at her when he looked up and saw her watching him. "Good, you're getting into the spirit of things," he said with a chilling smile and she looked at the floor, anywhere but at him. "Oh, come on sweetheart, we're going to make a little movie for your boyfriend. Show him how a real man can make you feel. It'll be something for him to remember you by."

The words made her shiver again. She was racking her brain for everything she had ever seen on crime shows, anything that could give her a way out. Could she distract him? She wondered if Harvey suspected what had happened to her. If he would be able to find her before it was too late.

.

He'd managed to talk the police into letting him ride along. They'd taken him to the station and he'd answered what felt like a million questions about Donna, about Dixon, about the history of everything that had been going on. They were still questioning him when an officer burst into the room, breathless with what seemed to be excitement.

"We found him," she gasped, "followed him into Brooklyn using traffic cams. They're in a warehouse in Gravesend. They went in and then a bunch of guys came out but not her. She's still in there."

"I'm coming with you," Harvey said, leaping out of his chair.

"Mr Specter, I don't think—"

"I'm going. End of story," he said firmly and both officers nodded begrudgingly. He'd thrown enough legal jargon at them that they were mildly afraid of him so it was easy to get his way. He would do anything it took to get Donna back and if the police couldn't do it then he'd do it himself.

.

She was bracing herself for what came next when she heard something. An engine. A car was pulling up. Her heart leapt as she hoped beyond hope that someone had found her. Dixon didn't seem to have heard anything, and she strained to hear anything else. He was still fiddling with the camera, adjusting it on its tripod and messing about with the zoom.

She couldn't hear anything else now and the flash of hope she'd felt was gone. And then there was a thud and her heart leapt again as he turned toward the sound, his back to her now. She took a breath, holding it as she listened again, waiting for more sound. Dixon had muttered something and was moving toward the doors when they clattered open and four NYPD officers burst into the room, guns trained on Dixon.

A sob escaped her as she realised it was over. She watched as the officers slapped cuffs on Dixon, reading him his Miranda rights and then Harvey was there, sprinting toward her, and she collapsed into his arms, sobbing as he wrapped his jacket around her and held her tightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked frantically, holding her face between his palms and looking her over. She nodded hesitantly and a fresh wave of sobs overcame her. "It's okay," he whispered, "I'm here, you're okay." He pulled her back into his arms and she pressed her tear-streaked face into his neck.

"Harvey," she whispered shakily, a deep sigh of relief flowing out of her. Thank god it was over.

.

It was a long night. Donna had given a statement to the police on site, and then had to go back uptown to the police station to answer more questions.

It was almost 3am by the time they finally arrived back at Harvey's condo.

"I need to shower," Donna said softly, feeling exposed and vulnerable in the dress that had been forcibly stripped from her earlier and then she'd had to put back on for the rest of the night.

"Do you… can I join you?" Harvey asked hesitantly. Donna looked up at him, her eyes wide and vulnerable, and they had one of their silent conversations, communicating with only their gaze. Eventually she nodded, biting her lip gently. She knew he wasn't trying something, she knew he was there for her.

And when they got into the shower together, he held her under the running water, bodies pressed together for nothing more than comfort.

"I'm okay," she said softly.

"I know," he replied, pressing his lips to the top of her head, "I know. But if you're not, that's okay too."

.

Harvey and Donna took several days off work after the Dixon incident, and went back up to the cabin at Bear Mountain, spending their days walking through forests and their nights wrapped up in one another.

Harvey was taking care of Donna almost to the point of suffocating, and yet she was enjoying every minute. The only difference seemed to be that her appetite was gone, but her libido seemed to have gone into overdrive and she couldn't get enough of Harvey. He had his suspicions that she was using sex as a band-aid and not that he was complaining, but he knew it wasn't healthy. He waited until the end of their trip before he broached the subject, bringing it up on their final night in the cabin as he cooked dinner for her.

"How are you doing?" he asked casually as he stirred garlic and shallots in butter in a pan on the stove. "You know, after... everything."

"I'm fine." she said casually, but there was a tension in her shoulders that hadn't been there before.

"Donna, I'm worried about you." he pressed, passing her a glass of red wine before pouring a large measure of the ruby liquid into the pan.

"I'm okay, Harvey." She leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping from her glass, feeling the wine slide smoothly down her throat. The smell of the garlic in the air was making her mouth water and there was nothing sexier than watching her man cooking.

"You seem to be…" he trailed off, cautious about broaching the subject.

"Seem to be what?"

"You're not really eating. And you seem to be extra… amorous." He chose his words carefully, only to be rewarded with her bursting into peals of laughter. "What?"

"Amorous?" she asks, "really?"

"I just mean…"

"I know what you mean, Harvey." she crossed to where he was standing, winding an arm around his waist and squeezing gently. "Did you ever consider that maybe I just love you? And find you sexy and enjoy being with you?"

"I know all that. _Obviously,_" he said, grinning and gesturing at his body. "But you went through something huge, and I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I am, I promise. I'm just grateful for you. And for this break from reality." She took a deep breath before continuing, "Maybe when we get back I might make an appointment with Stan, just to talk it all out."

"That's a good idea," Harvey nodded, placing a kiss to the top of her head. "If Stan can't get you in, I can probably get you an appointment with Andre if you want?"

"That'd be good, Harvey. Thank you." She wrapped her other arm around him, hugging him tightly as he continued stirring the sauce for the lamb ragu that was going to become their dinner.

.

Later that evening, they curled up on the couch together, soft jazz playing through the cabin, the fire crackling and burning in front of them. In an oversized sweatshirt and blank panties, the heat of the fire and Harvey's body was keeping Donna warm enough, but yet again she was craving something _more_. She leaned closer into Harvey, pressing her lips to the soft skin of his neck, suckling lightly at his skin.

"Again?" He murmured, having barely recovered from their energetic round on the table after dinner.

"I told you," she said in a low voice, "I just like being with you. And I find you sexy as hell." her last words were whispered in his ear, followed by taking his earlobe between her teeth and tugging gently.

"Donna…" Harvey breathed, feeling his groin responding to her hot mouth and roaming hands. He tipped her face toward his, capturing her lips and letting her tongue invade his mouth, tangling lightly with his. He pulled her onto his lap, her legs setting either side of his as their groins pressed together, enhancing their arousal with every movement.

"We'll be home tomorrow, how are you going to get through the day without jumping me every two hours?" Harvey teased breathlessly and Donna laughed, a tinkling sound that had his heart soaring and his hold on her tightening.

"I'll survive," she replied, "and there's always the file room".

"Oh, you really know how to stroke a guy's ego," Harvey said, latching his mouth to her neck, sucking, kissing, biting lightly. He slid a hand under her sweatshirt, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, pinching and tugging, relishing the gasp that she released as she arched into his palm.

Donna pulled her sweatshirt over her head, exposing herself to his gaze, feeling her skin heat up as his hands roamed her body and his mouth took possession of first her neck, then her clavicle, then her breasts. She ground her hips against his, feeling his erection growing underneath her, thrilling at having that effect on him, even after all this time.

They didn't speak much after that. Clothing was removed, and when Donna sank down onto Harvey's rock hard erection, they let out twin groans of satisfaction, and when she began to ride him, head thrown back, breasts pushed out and into his waiting hands, he thought he might lose his mind.

"You're incredible," he groaned as she rolled her hips against him, grinding and thrusting as she rode him fast. Her pelvis rocked against him and her buttocks slapped against his thighs as she bounced on his hard length. "God, I love you so much."

"Harder, Harvey," she panted, thrusting her hips against him vigorously. He met her movements thrust for thrust, their eyes locking, watching one another lose control as their orgasms raced toward them. "Oh, shit," she exclaimed breathlessly as she felt the tingles beginning in her lower abdomen, "I love you," she moaned as she came, her body going rigid and then trembling violently as the waves of pleasure rolled over her. Harvey continued pumping into her until his own climax hit him moments later and he spilled into her with a groan.

Donna collapsed against Harvey's body, sweaty bodies pressed together and her arms looped around his neck as his erection deflated within her. She kissed his neck and scraped her nails over his shoulders, relishing in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

"You're perfect," Harvey mumbled against her shoulder, his palm stroking the length of her spine before he pulled a blanket from the back of the couch, draping it over her to keep her warm.

"I need to clean up," she said drowsily, the endorphins and the warm room making her sleepy, but she made no move to get up.

"Let's go to bed." Harvey stood, breaking their connection as he slid out of her, but keeping her in his arms, carrying her to the bedroom. He laid her down, disappearing into the bathroom and returning with a warm washcloth that he used to tenderly clean her before tucking her into bed and leaving the room.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to turn out the lights and kill the fire. I'll be right back."

True to his word he was back within minutes, sliding under the covers next to her and letting his fingers find hers, linking their hands as they drifted off to sleep.

.

It was two days later when things flipped on their head again.

"He's out? How the _hell _did he get out this time? After what he did?" Harvey was fuming, pacing back and forth in his office, his iphone to his ear.

"I know, Harvey, I tried to stop it, but I couldn't, it was out of my hands." Sean Cahill tried to be soothing, having dreaded making this call ever since he'd found out earlier that morning that Leo Dixon had been released on bail.

"You know what he did, how could you let this happen?"

"I didn't _let _this happen, I told you, it's out of my hands. I think the best thing for you to do is to hire security. Get someone to watch out for you and Donna round the clock until you go to trial, and then nail his ass to the wall."

"Fucking hell." Harvey dropped onto the couch, running a hand over his face. It was just one thing after another in this case and he didn't know if he could handle any more. He ended the call with Cahill, not caring if it was rude to hang up without a goodbye. _Can this get any worse?_

He was still there when Donna found him an hour later. He'd made a few calls about hiring private security and had found a well-recommended guy to hire to look out for them who could start straight away; straight away being the following day, so they just had to get through the next twenty one hours.

"Harvey?" Donna stood in the doorway, scrutinising him, the defeat in his posture and his fidgeting hands.

"Hey." He looked up at her and smiled, one that didn't quite reach his eyes, but was still soft and loving and made her insides tingle. She couldn't believe how much she loved this man.

"What's up?"

"Nothing." He smiled again, more convincingly and she bought it, settling onto the couch next to him and allowing a brief moment of intimacy in a location where they usually tried to maintain professionalism. She nestled into his side for a minute, breathing him in and drawing comfort and support from the solid warmth of his body.

"You okay?" he asked, pressing his lips to the crown of her head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She sat up straight again. "I miss our vacation. Being back in the office is… challenging. Everyone is looking at me like I might burst into tears at any moment."

"You can take more time," he said softly, "you can take as much time as you need."

"I know. But I'm okay, really. I just need to get on with normal life."

"I know." His voice was quiet and she looked at him carefully.

"Are you sure everything is okay? What aren't you telling me?"

He took a deep breath, blowing it out noisily before beginning. "Dixon was released on bail this morning." He watched the instant effect his words had, watched the colour drain from her face, watched her hands begin to tremble. He reached for her, taking her hands in his, stilling them with his warmth and strength. "I won't let him near you, I swear."

"You can't promise that," she replied shakily, "you can't control what he does."

"Hey, look at me. I promise I will protect you. This time, you'll be safe. I've hired private security. You won't go anywhere alone."

"Harvey…"

"Listen to me. He is scum. Pure, unadulterated scum. That piece of shit won't get anywhere near you. I won't allow it. I'll kill him myself if i have to. I will rip him limb from limb." He was getting more and more irate and Donna was watching him carefully, observing the change in his demeanor as he got more worked up. "What he did to you was unforgivable. He's not going to get away with it. I have half a mind to go seek him out and make him pay for it the hard way. Taking you like that… he was going to…" he trailed off, pacing the room restlessly, angrily. His hands were balled into fists, the rage emanating from every inch of him. "That fucker will not get away with this. I'm going to tear him apart, and if i don't get to do it physically, I will sure as hell do it in court." He was almost in his own world, venting, rambling, letting something out. Donna was wary, not having seen him quite so angry before. "That asshole," he hissed as he grabbed a vase from the coffee table and threw it at the wall. The object exploded on impact, shard of porcelain raining onto the carpet. Donna flinched at the sound and the act itself, but Harvey was still talking. "He's got away with too much already. And now he's been bailed out? After _this_? Not on my watch. I'm going to kill that bastard. What he would have done to you if we hadn't found you in time… He doesn't deserve to live. He doesn't deserve to walk the same earth as you. I'm going to find him. I'm going to go find him and rip his _fucking _head off."

He finished his rant, his eyes ablaze, and Donna stared at him, genuine fear written on her every feature. Harvey stared back at her for a moment, the fury radiating from his body, tense and tightly coiled. It took a minute for him to register her shock and he immediately deflated, reaching for her slowly, gently.

"Donna…" he moved to touch her shoulder, seeing the wariness in her eyes, but she stepped away swiftly.

"I… I need a minute." She all but ran from the room, and he watched her helplessly as she went, hating himself for frightening her like that.

.

Samantha found her in the bathroom, wiping tears away, mascara smudged down her cheeks.

"What happened?"

"I… I've never seen him like that. He was out of control, so far removed from the Harvey I know."

"What did he do?" Samantha was immediately jumping to Donna's defense, intent on finding out what exactly Harvey had done and confronting him about it.

"He…" more tears welled and she couldn't speak, pressing shaking fingers to her lips.

"I'll kill him."

"Please don't say that," Donna whispered, her eyes wide and fearful, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"Come on," Samantha said, taking Donna's arm, "come with me and we'll talk."

They sat on the couch in an office on the 46th floor, recently vacated by Swanson who had retired the week before. It was somewhere Harvey wouldn't think to look for them, somewhere they could talk freely.

"Okay, start from the beginning. Tell me what happened." Samantha handed Donna a glass of water, setting a box of kleenex between them on the couch.

"Dixon got out on bail."

"What the fuck? How?" Samantha was stunned, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

"I don't know the details. Harvey found out a little while ago and he told me, but only after I pushed him into it."

"He was trying to protect you, I'm sure."

"He was. But that's not the problem. He… he was so mad. I've never seen him like that. He smashed a vase, he was talking in really violent, aggressive terms… he wasn't himself. I don't know that version of him, and I'm…" she trailed off, embarrassed to admit she was afraid.

"He scared you." Samantha, perceptive and intelligent, picked up on the undertones of what was going on. Donna nodded shamefully.

"I wish I wasn't scared. But after what Dixon did to me, the rage and the hatred he felt toward Harvey, to witness the other side of that, to see what Harvey could really be capable of… I never knew he could…. That he would even think of things like that…"

"He's not himself right now. He loves you more than anything in the world, and love makes people crazy. It makes people do things they otherwise wouldn't, say things they'd never say otherwise. He wants so badly to protect you, and the fact that he wasn't there, that he let his guard down and Dixon took you… he'll never forgive himself for that. He's as angry with himself as he is with Dixon."

"He was so violent… I've seen men like that before. In college I dated a man like that, and thank god I got out of that relationship before it went too far, but to see Harvey like that… I didn't know him. I was terrified of him, and I never ever thought he'd be someone I had to be afraid of." Tears are running freely down her cheeks again and she reaches for a kleenex, wiping her eyes, sniffling into the tissue.

"He's not. You don't need to be afraid of him. He would rather chew off his own arm than hurt you. I'm sure he's beating himself up for what he did." She paused and then carried on carefully, "_but _if you really are afraid, I'll come stay with you tonight and I won't let him in to the apartment, I promise."

It was that thought, the thought of spending the night away from him that made Donna realise what was real, what was important. She couldn't be apart from him. Of course he wouldn't hurt her. In all their years together he'd never once done anything to indicate he was that man. He was protecting her at all costs, he would never make himself into the thing she needed protecting from.

She wiped her eyes again, sitting up straighter. "Thanks, Samantha, but that's okay. You're right, he would never hurt me. What happened was about Dixon, not about me. I just… haven't seen him like that before. The thing I'm _really _afraid of is Dixon, and what he'll do if he gets another chance."

"He won't. We are going to build an airtight case. It'll be a slam dunk with the evidence we have and Leo Dixon will go away for the rest of his life."

.

Harvey was on the phone to Mike, who had been out all day trying to interview potential witnesses for their case.

"I was an idiot, Mike."

"What did you do?"

"I went into a complete meltdown about Dixon. I was ranting and raving, I threw a vase at the wall… I was aggressive and violent…"

"Harvey, what did you _do_?" Mike's voice was sharper now, unsure where this was going, but clear that it wasn't going to be good.

"I was losing my shit, and Donna was there. I saw her face, Mike. She was _afraid _of me. She was terrified of me. She's never looked at me like that before. She _ran _from me. I… I might have really fucked it up this time."

Mike let out a heavy sigh, part relief, part frustration. "Harvey, she loves you more than anything. You haven't fucked anything up."

"I have, I-"

"Will you shut up and listen to me for a minute?" Mike interrupted sharply. "She loves you. But she's also been through hell and back in the last few months. You both have, but her experience is the freshest. I know you were petrified when he took her. But have you thought about what she went through that night? He stripped her practically naked and was going to film... Anyway, I'm not telling you this to make you more angry, I'm telling you this to give you context. She thought she might die there that night. Think about what that must have been like for her. She was alone with an aggressive, violent man, and when you went nutso today, she'll have flashed straight back to that night. To her, you're everything that he isn't, but you've just shown her a side of yourself that brings you further into his circle, and that has to be goddamned terrifying for her." Mike took a breath, pausing to give his words time to sink in. "You are _everything _to her. You haven't fucked anything up, she just needs time to process. And she needs you to apologise and tell her you'll never do anything like that again. She needs to know that you're her safe place. All you have to do is show her, remind her, give her reasons to remember. This isn't permanent. She's just in shock, triggered by something she didn't expect."

Harvey was silent for a long moment after Mike finished speaking. He was quiet for so long that Mike was beginning to wonder if he was even still on the line, but then he spoke. "Thank you, Mike."

"Hey, what are sidekicks for?"

.

He texted her, too afraid to call for fear that she wouldn't answer. _Ray will be here at 4. Please come home with me?_

And when four came around, he was waiting outside the building for her, his foot tapping nervously, hoping she'd show up. He knew he'd wait forever for her if he needed to, but at 4:03pm he saw her exit the elevator and watched her cross the lobby before walking out onto the street.

They didn't speak. She walked straight into his open arms, letting him engulf her in his embrace, smoothing his hand over her hair lovingly. She clutched at the lapels of his jacket, her whole body pressed tightly against his, her arms trapped between their torsos. They kissed deeply, longingly and lovingly, the effects in their bodies almost instantaneous, feeding off the residual tension.

They slid smoothly into the cab, still not talking, keeping constant contact with one another, kissing, touching, conveying everything that needed to be said with the physical instead of the verbal.

"I want to take you to bed," Harvey murmured in Donna's ear as soon as they walked through the door of his condo.

"Gladly," she replied, taking his face in both hands and kissing him hungrily. She led him to the bedroom, wasting no time in stripping off her dress, letting the ebony silk pool at her feet as his eyes trailed over her taut body. He stepped toward her, yanking his tie from around his neck as he did so, before letting his hands take up residence on her hips.

She kissed him, needing to feel close to him after the evening they'd had, busying her hands with unbuttoning his shirt. Each inch of his skin she uncovered was a welcome home for her roaming hands and lightly scraping fingernails, sending shivers cascading down his spine, impatient to unite with her.

"I love you," he whispered between sensual kisses, holding her like the most precious thing in the world.

"You scared me today," she replied softly, pulling away, fixing her gaze on him. His eyes were dark with arousal and it caused a jolt low in her abdomen, a similar feeling whenever he looked at her with that expression. It still turned her on beyond measure to know he was so affected by her.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his thumbs rubbing small circles on her waist. She squirmed a little as he hit a ticklish spot and a mischievous smile flashed across his face.

"Stop it," she scolded lightly, slapping his chest playfully. He chuckled, tickling her lightly with his fingertips and she let out a small squeal, flinching away from him as their laughter mingled in the air between them. He pulled her back to him, fusing his mouth to hers and letting his tongue dance joyfully across her bottom lip. She moaned lightly into his mouth as his hands ran freely over her back, burning hot trails across her skin. He deftly unhooked her bra and she lowered her arms from around his neck so she could toss it aside, returning to his embrace the second it was gone.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he said a moment later, his face serious again.

"I know," she replied softly, "and it's okay. I understand why you reacted that way. I just didn't know you had so much rage in you and it threw me a little."

"I wish you hadn't seen that. It's the last thing you needed after everything you've been through."

"We, Harvey, everything _we _have been through. We're in this together. Always."

"We are. And I swear to you, I won't ever go crazy like that again. I've made an appointment to see Andre tomorrow to talk it through, and I'll do whatever I need to. I don't want to feel like that ever again, and I don't ever want to see that kind of fear in your eyes because of me. I hate myself for doing that to you."

Donna sat down on the edge of the bed, patting the mattress next to her to get Harvey to sit too. The sensuality of moments earlier was gone, and in its place was honesty and openness, hope that they could move forward together, with the help of one another, their friends, their therapist, and their love.

"It's going to be okay, Harvey. I know you were reacting on instinct and exhaustion and stress and your own fear. I know you just want to keep me safe and keep that scumbag out of our lives." She took his hand in hers, linking their fingers and bringing them to her lips, kissing his knuckles softly. "I think talking to Andre is a good idea. You need to get your head straight about this whole situation, or else you'll never be able to build an airtight case." she laid her head on his shoulder. "You're going to put him away, Harvey, I know you are. And we're going to be safe, and we're going to be happy again. I'm certain of it."

"I love you," Harvey breathed softly, "so much."

"I love you too."

.

They had a joint session with Andre the following day. It was the first time they'd done so, and while it was emotionally draining, they both felt better for it.

And that afternoon, when Harvey and Mike went down to the court, armed with a Motion to Expedite Trial, they knew they'd win. The trial was set for two weeks, and while it was going to be a scramble to get everything ready in time, Harvey knew in his gut that the sooner it began, the sooner it would be over and finally, _finally, _they could get back to normal. Whatever normal was.

* * *

**Thank you for reading this craziness! It wasn't originally intended for this fic, but a review from a guest about wanting more drama, and a review from dear Nannalyn about not knowing what I had planned made me think I could add another twist in there. I deliberately took Harvey in a different direction as the proof of the effect all this stuff was having on him. I know this Harvey isn't likely to stem from the Harvey we know, but you never know how a person ****would**** react under this kind of pressure so I took some liberties. Hope it was worth the wait!**

**Em x**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is a bit of a monster chapter, but it moves the story along hugely. Hopefully it's not too wordy!**

**Fun fact, the first paragraph is actually the very first thing I wrote for this fic and built everything up around it, and it's where the title came from, so the fact it took me nine chapters to get to it is hilarious. **

* * *

It had been a long day. It was almost 1am when Harvey entered his apartment, set on having a scotch or two before retiring to bed. Seeing her shoes by the door changed that plan immediately. He kicked off his own shoes, leaving them alongside hers, and shucked off his jacket and removed his tie before entering the bedroom. He could make out the shape of her under the covers, stirring as he dropped his shirt into the hamper by the door.

"You're back," she mumbled sleepily as he removed his pants and socks.

"Sorry I woke you," he replied softly as he crossed the room, sliding into bed next to her. She shuffled across the mattress and into his arms, her face buried in his chest as he kissed the crown of her head. "I didn't think you'd be here."

"I went home at first, but I hated the thought of waking up without you."

He didn't reply, but held her tighter, pressing his lips to the top of her head again. He'd sent her home from work earlier, insisting that she sleep at her own place since he'd be home so late. He'd wanted to relish in the quiet of the firm after hours as he prepared for the trial that was starting the following day. They'd fought about it and he'd felt guilty all evening. His face burned with shame as he remembered the horrible thing he'd said to her.

"_Are you coming home?" She was in the doorway of his office, leaning on the frame and he looked up, appreciating the way her sky blue dress hugged her curves. _

"_I need to work on my opening statement. I'll be home late."_

"_Harvey…"_

"_You know this is how I prepare for trial, Donna. Don't fight me on this."_

"_I'm not fighting you." She stepped into the room, crossing to his desk and perching on the edge of it. "Can you work at home?"_

"_Not on this. I need to be here for this. You go home, sleep at your place. I'll be home so late you won't even notice."_

"_You don't want me there when you get home?" She sounded hurt and he winced internally. _

"_I just need to get this done and get a good night's sleep." He could hear the words as they left his mouth and he knew how they sounded, but the damage was done, he could see it on her face. _

"_Fine," she said as she stood up, smoothing her palms down her thighs to straighten her skirt. _

"_Donna, don't-"_

"_Don't what? Don't be hurt that you're cutting me out of this process?" She whirled around, heading for the door but he intercepted her with long strides around the desk, stopping in front of the door and reaching out for her. She stepped back, out of his reach and his face fell. _

"_You know my process. You know I work alone on trial preparation."_

"_This is different. I've been a part of this all the way through, and now you're leaving me out."_

"_Because this doesn't concern you!" his voice rose and she looked past him into the hall and then back at him, raising her eyebrows. He glanced over his shoulder at the stray associates in the hall, glaring at them before closing the door. The glass walls didn't provide as much visual privacy as he'd like, but at least they were soundproof. "This is _my _fight. There's nothing you can do. Just go home and I'll see you tomorrow." _

"_I'm not leaving you here." Her tone was defiant and it snapped something in him. _

"_Could you just listen to me for once? I don't want you here."_

"_I don't care. I'm staying." She crossed her arms over her chest angrily. _

"_Donna, just go," he shouted, his eyes like molten lava as he stared at her. _

"_Fine," she spat at him, "good luck in court tomorrow." She stalked out of the room, her emotions in turmoil. She fought back the tears until she reached the safety of the ladies bathroom where she broke down into sobs that shook her body and stole her breath. She didn't know he was standing by the door, listening, holding back tears of his own as he slowly turned and walked away. _

"Did you get everything finished?" she asked, her voice raspy with sleep.

"Yeah. I've got my opening statement ready." He hugged her tighter. "About earlier…"

"Forget it."

"I can't. I was awful. I…"

"Don't, Harvey. It's done, it's over. Let's just focus on moving forward. What time are you due in court?" She already knew the answer but asked the question anyway, taking advantage of the opportunity to shut down the line of conversation she didn't want to address.

"Ten."

"Will he be there?"

"You know he will." His voice was calm, but the tensing of his body in her arms told her he was worried.

"Are you going to be okay with facing him?"

"I have to be. Are you?"

She pulled away from him, turning to flick on the bedside lamp. "You don't _have_ to be. It's okay to be nervous, Harvey. It was a traumatic experience, you don't have to be brave about it." She ignored his attempt at turning the question back onto her. Right now he was hurting, worrying, wallowing and she needed to snap him out of that so he could focus properly in court.

"Yes, I do. I've chosen to represent myself, and that means I need to be completely unaffected by him in court. I can't let the jury see my weaknesses."

"Harvey, I—"

"Please, Donna. Just leave it, okay? I don't want to talk about it tonight. I just want to relax, okay?"

"Okay." She ran her hand through his hair. "Want me to help you relax?" she asked suggestively, eyebrows raised.

"I don't know if I have the energy."

"I'm sure you can find some energy," she purred in his ear, her hand sliding down his body and palming him through his boxers. She squeezed and felt him responding, nipping at his earlobe and then kissing his pulse point. She could feel him growing under her hand and she pressed her lips to his. Until he pulled away, grabbing her wrist and stilling her movements.

"Stop."

"Harvey…"

"I'm not in the mood. Just… just let me sleep." He turned away from her, his shoulders tense.

"Harvey." She reached for him, her hand sliding over his back and the hard knots in his neck. "Talk to me."

"I don't wanna talk."

"I don't care." She pulled on his shoulder, forcing him to roll over to face her again. "You don't get to do this anymore. We agreed on that, remember? Honest communication?"

Harvey sighed, sitting up against the headboard. "I'm tired. And I've got a big day tomorrow. There's a lot on my mind."

"I _know_, Harvey. Don't you think I'm worried too?" She sat up, throwing a leg across his body so she was straddling his lap, taking his face in her hands. "Let me in. Tell me what you're feeling."

His jaw tensed and he looked away, avoiding her penetrating gaze. "Why don't you tell me what I'm feeling? You've always known it better than I do."

"That was different. _We _were different. I'd prefer it if you _wanted _to tell me."

"I'm not good at this. You know that."

"Try. Please?" Her eyes were wide, earnest, and he couldn't say no. He'd never been able to say no to her.

"Okay." His hands landed on her thighs, his thumbs stroking idly over her skin. He was silent for a long moment and she waited him out, patient as ever. "I _am_ worried about seeing him tomorrow. I'm unshakeable in court. But this…" he looked away again, unable to get the words out. Donna nodded, cupping his face again, bringing his gaze back toward her.

"I know," she said softly.

"I don't know how to do this." His voice was low, ashamed.

"Have you talked to Louis about it?"

"Why would I talk to _Louis _about it?"

"He was mugged, Harvey, remember? Remember how he struggled with that? He could help you with this."

"It's not the same."

"I know it isn't. But what happened to you isn't something everyone can understand. It's not even something that _I _can understand, even though I've tried, I'm trying. But Louis went through something similar, although not on the same level, and maybe he can help you with the psychological effects it's had on you."

"Please don't try to psychoanalyse me." He shuddered at the idea, remembering a certain therapist-turned-girlfriend and hating himself a little.

"I'm not, Harvey." She ran her fingertips from his eyebrow to his jaw, soothing, calming. "I just want to help."

"I know. I'm sorry." His jaw tensed again as he looked down at his hands on her legs. "I'm - I can't believe I'm about to say this - I'm… nervous about tomorrow."

"Harvey, listen to me. You're _incredible _in court. And you're strong - stronger than you think you are. And stubborn as hell, too," she chuckled. "Use those things to your advantage. Show the jury that we got through this, but that it wasn't easy. Show them his temper. Break him_." _Her final words were punctuated with a kiss. "Mike will be there to back you up, whatever you need. And I'll be there in the gallery every minute. You're not alone in this."

"I love you," he said simply, overwhelmed by her words and his own emotions.

"I know," she replied, bringing her lips back to his again and kissing him sensuously. "Now, will you let me help you relax? You know you always sleep better after."

"Yeah, okay," he said, rolling his eyes in mock-sarcasm and then grinning widely as he slid his hands up her thighs and under her nightgown to her hips. Their mouths met and she wiggled purposefully against him, feeling his hardening length pressed deliciously against her. He let out a low groan as the friction caused him to harden further.

She shifted lower on his legs and wrapped her hand around his impressive manhood, always impressed at his girth and how solid and heavy he felt in her palm. She stroked lightly, relishing the strangled moan that escaped him as he breath became more shallow with every movement of her hand. She lowered herself to him, swirling her tongue around the head of his beautiful cock. Harvey's eyes closed as licked him from base to tip, her warm wet mouth and her hand anchored on his hip driving him crazy as the pleasure she gave him was too much but never enough.

She was grinding on his leg, not getting what she needed but this wasn't about her, this was for him. She works him over, sucking, licking, lightly scraping with her teeth on his over-sensitive shaft as his grunts grow in volume and his hips begin to jerk underneath her.

"Donna, I'm—"

"I know," she replied around a mouthful of cock, her hand massaging his balls to draw his orgasm from him. A few more firm strokes and her tongue swirling around his tip was all it took for him to erupt in her mouth, and she swallowed what he gave her, milking every last drop from him until his hips fell back to the mattress and he let out a long breath.

"C'mere," he said, "let me—"

"No," she cut him off, "this was about you." She crawled back up his body and curled into his side, dropping a kiss to his jawline. He turned on his side to face her, his hand on her waist, stroking the soft skin there.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, his nose grazing hers.

"I love you, Harvey." She kissed him, their lips meeting softly, chastely. "Now go to sleep. It's a big day tomorrow."

.

Donna woke early the next morning, finding Harvey already awake, laying flat on his back and staring at the ceiling.

"Hey," she said softly, shuffling closer to him and pressing her lips to his bare shoulder.

"Hey." He turned his head toward her, a weak smile trying to greet her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Did you sleep?" She asked gently.

"A little," he responded with a shrug.

"All you have to do is be you. Be just exactly who you are. You're an incredible lawyer, Harvey. You were born for this."

"How do you always believe in me?" He raised her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently.

"Because I've watched you be the best closer in New York for almost fifteen years. You've always believed in yourself. This case isn't any different. You just have to do what you do."

.

As they approached the courthouse later that morning, Donna took Harvey's hand in hers, squeezing gently.

"Can you take a loop around the block, Ray?" She asked, "we're a little early."

"Of course," Ray replied, smoothly changing lanes to turn the next corner.

"You good?" She asked Harvey softly, stroking his fingers with her own.

"Yeah," he replied, giving her a soft smile. "I'm ready."

"Good."

"Good," he echoed and they exchanged a smile at the shared memory. She squeezed his hand again and he squeezed back, each communicating wordlessly their love, support and understanding

.

The courthouse was busy, as it usually was at the beginning of the day, but they found Mike easily amongst the crowd. Donna hugged him hard and Harvey thanked him again for taking the lead on the case. Samantha and Louis had both offered to sit second chair, but Mike had insisted it had to be Harvey - it made the case look better. Rachel had wanted to fly in to support all of them, but was looking after the firm in Seattle while Mike was away and wasn't confident enough to leave it in someone else's hands just yet.

They made small talk for a few minutes, having nothing much to say thanks to daily meetings in preparation of the trial, so when Harvey went to get a coffee, Donna took the opportunity to pull Mike aside.

"You help him, Mike. You support him, you have his back. He needs you on this one." She was stern and serious and Mike knew it. This wasn't a joking moment. This was the fight of Harvey's life, a fight that would define their future together.

"I will. I'll do whatever I need to." He took her hands in his, squeezing her fingers reassuringly.

"You'd better," she said, in a vaguely threatening tone. "I'll do whatever I need to do too."

"I know, Donna. I promise, I have his back. Leo Dixon is going down for this."

"That's exactly what I need to hear." She nodded and Mike suddenly saw just how nervous she was. His heart ached for her and for Harvey, for the stress this had put on the early days of their relationship, the time when they should have been blissfully happy.

"He's not going to be alone in there. I have his back every step of the way."

"Thank you." Donna squeezed her friend's hand as Louis made his way toward them. He hugged Donna and slapped Mike on the back in greeting.

"Where's Harvey?" he asked.

"Getting coffee," Mike replied, spotting Harvey weaving his way through the crowds to get back to them.

"Louis." He clapped a hand onto the shorter man's shoulder. "It's good of you to be here."

"Wouldn't have missed it for anything," he said somberly. "Well, maybe the birth of my child."

"Thanks Louis," Harvey replied with a light chuckle, just as the court was called into session. "Ready?" he asked Mike.

"Yup. Let's crush this." Mike strode into the courtroom with Louis and Harvey took one last moment with Donna.

"I love you," she told him fiercely. "And I have faith in you." Her words hit Harvey exactly where he needed them. The memory of Mike's case swam briefly through his mind and he nodded.

"I love you too," he replied, and she watched as he walked into court, head held high, confidence in his stance. She slipped through the door behind him, taking a seat next to Louis, who gripped her hand tight. The trial was finally underway.

.

"That didn't go well," Harvey sighed when court was adjourned for the day. Dixon and his lawyer had objected, avoided and misdirected all of Mike's questions throughout the afternoon and the case had really moved nowhere.

"It was okay," Samantha said with a shrug.

"No, it wasn't. I'm going back to the office to work on tomorrow's witness list."

"Harvey," Donna interjected, "can we just—"

"Don't fight me on this, Donna, please. I need to go to the office."

"I'm not fighting you, Harvey, I just think we should all sit down and debrief together before you run headlong into prepping for tomorrow."

"Donna's right, Harvey," Mike jumped in, "we need to do this together. Let's go sit down, go over the day and plan tomorrow."

.

There was a chicken roasting in the oven when Harvey arrived at Donna's apartment later that evening. After they'd debriefed about the day in court, she'd headed home to cook, leaving Harvey with Mike and Samantha to prep for the following day.

"Donna?" he called for her as he walked into the living room and heard the water running in the bathroom. He made his way in there, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto the bed as he did so.

"Hey," she said as he walked in, "how'd it go?"

"It was fine. We've got a solid plan." he leaned against the counter, watching her through the steamy glass.

"Come take a shower with me," she said, rubbing shampoo into her hair. Harvey didn't need asking twice. A naked, beautiful woman who also happened to be the love of his life asking him to get naked and soapy with her? No contest. He stripped down and stepped into the shower, taking the slippery Donna in his arms and kissing her deeply.

"I came in here to get _clean, _not dirty," she quipped with a sly grin and he laughed, the sound warming her heart. He'd been through too much lately and she hadn't heard enough of his laugh, seen enough of his infectious smile.

"After we get dirty, we can get clean again…" he teased, running his tongue along the curve of her ear, causing an involuntary shiver to run through her.

"Later, lover," she teased. We need to eat too and that chicken will go dry if we leave it too long." She kissed him again, running her hands down his chest, feeling his cock harden against her thigh. She grinned and then stepped back, rinsing the shampoo from her hair as he watched her lustfully.

"Maybe I'll just…" he trailed off, wrapping his hand around his erect length, stroking it slowly.

"Don't you dare," she threatened, batting his arm away. "That is all mine, but not until after we've eaten."

.

Donna woke the next morning to Harvey's hand teasing her breast. He was spooned behind her, his arm draped over her body and his fingers drawing soft circles around her nipple.

"Mmmm good morning," she replied throatily, turning her head to look at him.

"Morning beautiful," Harvey replied, squeezing her breast a little harder and kissing her shoulder. She could feel his erection pressed against her and lowered a hand between her legs, teasing her clitoris with her middle finger.

"Are you touching yourself?"

"Yes," she replied, grinding back against him, his mouth on her neck and the hand between her legs turning her on.

"Fuck," he groaned, his hand snaking over her hip and resting his fingers over hers as she played with herself.

"Yes please," she murmured in reply, pushing her ass back against him again and lifting her leg to give him space to slide into her.

He guided himself inside her, feeling her body stretch to accommodate him and she groaned a little at the pinch that came as a result of inadequate lubrication.

"You okay?" He asked, stilling his movements. She nodded, shifting her hips and feeling him slip further inside, the delicious stretch skirting the line between pleasure and pain.

"Ungh, _yes,_" she hissed, her fingers working her clit again as she clenched her internal muscles around Harvey's sizeable length.

"Good?" he asked her, thrusting shallowly.

"Yeah," she replied on an outward breath, pulling away and pushing her body back into his. The head of his cock hit the perfect spot inside of her and she let out a low whine.

"There," she panted. "do that again." He thrust again and again, but missed the right spot. "Let me," she said, pushing her body back into his again and feeling what she was craving. She rolled her hips against him and he caught onto her rhythm, thrusting against her and she tipped her head back against his shoulder as she felt the pleasure build within her.

"Fuck," Harvey groaned, flexing his cock inside her.

"Harder," she begged, and he obliged, snapping his hips against her until she cried out, twitching and shaking in his arms as her orgasm washed over her. He slowed as she rode it out, then picked up the rhythm again, racing toward his own climax. He snaked an arm over her stomach, holding her body in place as he pounded inside her.

"Fuck, Harvey…" she moaned, and her voice was enough to bring him to the edge. "_God, _I love you," she said and the words had him tumbling off that peak and emptying himself inside her. He groaned as he came, a guttural sound that rumbled in his chest and vibrated through her back.

When he slipped out of her she mourned the loss of contact, turning to nestle into his embrace. She felt the need to be close to him with the day they had coming up.

"How do you feel about court today?" she asked eventually, her tone soft and hesitant. They both knew he was going to have to take the stand but hadn't voiced it. She was going to be there to support him; wild horses couldn't keep her away.

"Fine," he said with a shrug.

"You sure about that?" She traced the line of his jaw with a finger, feeling the tension there.

"I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but I'm ready to do what needs to be done to put that monster away."

"I'm proud of you," she said softly.

"I know," he replied. He pressed his lips to hers briefly, closing his eyes in an attempt to hold onto the moment: the woman he loved in his arms, the warmth of the bed, their legs tangled together. It was as close to perfect as he could imagine.

.

The defence's cross examination was brutal. Harvey held himself together well, always the confident lawyer, but anyone who knew him well could see he was shaken. And the courtroom was full of people who knew him. Donna was sitting right behind Mike, with Jessica and Louis on either side of her. Samantha was sitting next to Jessica, with Alex, Robert and even Gretchen in the row behind. At one point Louis took Donna's hand, gripping it tightly to stop her from shaking. She was horrified as she listened to Harvey describing what had happened to him that night. He'd spared her a lot of detail, it seemed. When the judge called a break for lunch at 12:10pm, she practically flew into Harvey's arms, holding back tears.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, stroking his cheek, her gaze fixed on his.

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Why didn't you—"

"I didn't want you to have to hear all that."

"Harvey," she breathed, her eyes glistening with tears. He pulled her into a tight hug, his face buried in her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and her perfume and something else that was just unmistakably _her_.

"I'm okay," he said, rubbing her back as she took in shaky breaths, fighting back tears. He felt her nod into his neck and knew she wasn't trusting her voice. "Come with me," he said, loosening his hold on her and taking her hand instead. He led her outside, throwing a quick glance at Mike, who nodded understandingly, and took her to the park next to the courthouse, thankfully finding an empty bench for them to sit on.

"I can't believe you went through all that," Donna said softly, staring at the ground in front of her.

"I'm okay," Harvey said again. "It wasn't easy to relive it, but I'm okay."

"You kept a lot of the details from me."

"I know. I knew it would upset you, and I didn't want you worrying about me."

"When will you learn, Harvey?" She laid her hand on his leg. "I was always going to worry about you. Keeping things from me doesn't change that."

"I know. I just…" he took a breath and let it out slowly. "I just didn't want you to know the details. I didn't want you to be more afraid. You'd already been through so much."

"He practically tortured you." Her eyes were filled with tears again and he nodded slowly.

"It was like a game to him."

"Harvey…" her voice shook as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace, re-living the words she'd heard earlier when Mike had made Harvey describe the ordeal before the defence took their turn at him.

"_I'd met him in East Harlem. I'd staged the meeting to tell him to get away from a case he'd been connected with. He knew I was coming; two guys grabbed me from behind while I was waiting, and he came out from behind a van. He laughed when he saw me. He mocked me, told me he'd been keeping an eye on me, that he had no intention of listening to anything I had to say. He hit me; I lost count of how many times. At first he was focused on messing up my face, but then he went for my ribs, my stomach. He winded me, I couldn't breathe. The guy on my left hand side twisted my arm, I heard it crack when it broke. Then he broke my fingers. For fun. He laughed while he did it. When they let me go, I fell, and then he kicked me in the abdomen. Five times. I remember that. I was counting, trying to focus on something other than pain."_

"_Did they say anything to you?" Mike asked._

"_Only Dixon. The others didn't speak. But Dixon told me he'd be watching me. He told me he'd—" Harvey's eyes had flicked to Donna, "he said he'd come after my girlfriend."_

"_Were those his exact words?"_

"_He said, "if you come anywhere near me again, I'll make sure that pretty girlfriend of yours doesn't see the light of day again. And there's no use pretending she doesn't exist, I know exactly who she is. Redhead, smoking hot; last week I saw the two of you arrive home together, she was in a blue dress with those gorgeous tits on display"." Harvey struggled to get the words out, his eyes full of rage as he recalled the sleazy comments Dixon had made about Donna. "Then he told me that if he got wind of me trying to block him in any of his "future endeavours", he'd make me watch while he…" Harvey stopped, his jaw clenching. Mike had shot an apologetic look at Donna before he asked Harvey to finish the sentence. _

"_While he what?"_

"_I think his exact words were "while I use her as a toy and then dispose of her". He held me down, his foot on my broken arm, while he detailed a list of things he wanted to do."_

Donna had sat there and listened as Harvey described his ordeal through Mike's questioning, and then had to watch as Dixon's lawyer tried to tear apart Harvey's testimony. It had been a tense morning.

"I wish you'd told me sooner," she said, "about everything he said to you that night."

"I'm sorry." He kissed the top of her head, holding her tightly. "I couldn't —"

"I know," she interrupted, "it was hard for you to deal with as it was. I just wish I'd known how hard. I wouldn't have pushed you so much."

"It's okay, Donna. You did what had to be done. And I'm glad you did. I was drowning and you saved me."

"I love you," she said simply, turning her face into his neck and breathing him in. He held her tenderly, and then he remembered.

"We have to put you on the stand tomorrow."

"I know." She shrugged. "I'm ready for it."

"Are you sure?" He was worried and she could see it in his eyes. She reached for him, cupping his face with her palm.

"I'm sure. I've been over it enough times, first with the police, and then with you, and Stan, and Andre, and Mike and then Samantha. I've said it out loud enough times. I'm okay. I can do this."

"You're amazing," he said in a low voice, full of wonder at the incredible woman he had in his life and his heart.

"I know," she quipped, a smile spreading across her face. He chuckled, pressing his lips to hers briefly.

"C'mon. Let's get back."

.

The remainder of the day was less stressful; Harvey and Mike put two police officers on the stand, the first two of many who had been a part of Dixon's multiple arrests. When the day was over, everyone went home to relax for the evening before continuing with the police witnesses the following day.

Harvey and Donna picked up pizza on their way home, eating it on the couch while they watched an old film noir marathon. Donna set the empty plates on the coffee table when they were done, settling back onto the couch and getting comfortable to watch the rest of the movie.

She pulled a leg up, wrapping her arms around it and resting her chin on her knee. Harvey watched her for a moment, still amazed by how he got so lucky.

"Stop staring," she said without taking her eyes off the screen.

"Sorry," he chuckled, "I was just thinking about how much I love you."

"Cheesy." She rolled her eyes but then threw him a smile full of joy and love and his heart beat faster in his chest.

"You sure you're okay about tomorrow?"

"Yes, Harvey. I told you before. I've been through it enough times to be able to talk about it."

"Mike's going to do all the questioning. He thought it would be… easier."

"You told me that yesterday." She took his hand in hers, turning to face him fully. "I get the feeling you're more worried about this than I am."

"I'm worried that it's going to be harder than you think. Remember I just went though it today, so—"

"Harvey, stop," she interrupted. "I know you're looking out for me, and I love you for that. But I'm okay. I can do this. Yeah, I'm a little nervous about having to relive it while he's sitting right there in front of me. Yeah, I'll have to look at his face while his lawyer tried to tear apart my testimony. Yeah, I'll have to talk about hard stuff with a room full of strangers watching me. But this is necessary. It'll be hard, but I _can _do it."

"God, I love you so much," he said reverently, his tone soft and warm, the voice he reserved just for her.

"I know," she replied, a gentle smile on her face and love in her eyes. "Everything is going to be okay."

.

Court the following day was harder than either of them expected. The defence first attacked Donna's credibility as a witness and then tore apart her testimony surrounding her abduction. They insinuated that she'd slept her way into her position, that she'd bought her way into her position, that she'd lied and cheated her way into her position; labelling her an unreliable witness by making her out to be a liar and a cheat.

And just when she thought she couldn't handle any more, when her nerves were frayed and her emotions were bubbling just beneath the surface, they started in on her testimony.

"Did the defendant have a gun?" Dixon's lawyer, Alan Webster, paced in front of the witness stand, like a lion stalking its prey.

"No."

"Did he threaten you with violence?"

"He didn't specifically-"

"Yes or no, did he threaten you with violence?"

"No."Donna's cheeks were burning with rage and embarrassment and she glanced at Harvey, who looked just as angry as she felt.

"Did he touch you?"

"He grabbed my wrist."

"He grabbed your wrist, okay. Did he physically handle you into the car?"

"No."

"So you weren't _forced _into the car?"

"Not physically, no, but-"

"So he didn't have a gun, he touched only your wrist, and he didn't _force _you into the car?"

"Objection! He's testifying," Mike jumped out of his seat.

"Sustained. Asked and answered, Mr Webster, please stay on track."

"Yes, Your Honor." He turned back to Donna, a nasty gleam in his eye. "Ms Paulsen, there is no record of a hospital admission for you as a result of this alleged "abduction". Could you tell me what physical injuries you sustained?"

"I didn't have any."

"You didn't have any? You didn't have any injuries whatsoever as a result of what you're accusing my client of? I find that interesting." He walked back to his desk. "No further questions, your honor."

"Re-direct, your honor," Harvey said as he stood up, buttoning his jacket. Mike's eyes were wide and Donna felt nervous. This wasn't planned and she had no idea what Harvey was about to ask her.

"What was Mr Dixon's demeanour the night he abducted you?"

"Objection! Said abduction has not been proven."

"Overruled. The witness will answer the question."

"He was threatening. Menacing. I felt unsafe."

"Do you believe he intended to harm you?"

"Yes. He was quite clear about his intentions."

"Did he tell you explicitly what he was planning to do?"

"Yes." She squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable with where Harvey was taking this. She'd already detailed what had happened during Mike's questioning.

"Please tell the court how this affected you after the incident."

"I… uh…" she felt like a deer in headlights. He couldn't possibly be asking her to detail everything that had happened afterward; her craving for closeness with him, her fear of being out on the street for any length of time, her inability to leave the office alone, the nightmares, her daily phone sessions with Andre. And the breakdown she'd had a week after the incident, refusing to get out of bed, sobbing for hours on end, and upon her return to work, feeling wary of all men.

"Why are you hesitant to answer?"

"I'm…" she took a breath, putting her trust in him. He wouldn't drag her through this for no reason. "It was traumatic. I'm still not completely over it."

He stepped toward her, meeting her eyes as he spoke, "take your time. Tell us what he's done to you." His steady gaze had her heart rate slowing, calming.

"I've lost my independence," she began, feeling tears pricking at her eyes but refusing to let them spill. "I can't be alone after dark. I can't sleep without nightmares. I need constant reassurance from my loved ones. I'm having therapy every day. I don't feel like I know myself anymore. He robbed me of my confidence, of what makes me who I am." It was the final words that caused the tears to begin spilling down her cheeks. She sucked in a deep breath. She _hated _crying in front of people. Thankfully, Harvey knew this and knew the line had been reached and any further pushing would be crossing that line in a big way.

"Thank you, Ms Paulsen. No further questions."

"You may step down," the judge instructed Donna and she stood gratefully. "We'll take a ten minute recess."

The moment the judge and jury were out of the room, Harvey gathered Donna in his arms.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," she said through her tears, "I know you had a reason."

"I needed the jury to see what he did to you. I need them on your side. That's what will get us a conviction."

She nodded into his chest, sniffling lightly, drawing comfort from his warm, solid frame, breathing him in deeply.

"Harvey, what the hell!" Louis approached them, rage and tension emanating from him.

"Not now, Louis," Harvey said wearily. He released Donna from his embrace, keeping his arm around her as they faced their friends and colleagues.

"Are you okay?" Louis asked Donna. She nodded, the tension beginning to dissipate thanks to Harvey's hold on her.

"I'm fine, Louis. It's over now and that's what's important." She wound her arm around Harvey's waist, turning to him and looking him in the eye. "I might go home for the rest of the day," she said softly. He nodded, his face tortured at the idea of her being alone, especially after everything they'd been through and everything she'd dealt with in the past weeks.

"I'll go with you," Louis piped up and she shot him a grateful smile.

"Thanks Louis."

"Thank you," Harvey echoed, feeling a rush of gratitude to all of the people who had helped them through everything and making a mental note to throw a party when it was all over. Or better yet, let Louis and Donna throw a party. They'd be thrilled.

"I'll see you later," Donna said, kissing Harvey lightly on the cheek. He squeezed her hand as she walked away, already counting the minutes until she'd be in his arms again.

* * *

**We're nearing the end now! Soon it'll all be over and all anyone will be left with is fond memories. Except for Darvey who are likely still going to be traumatised but will deal by being together. **


End file.
